Download logoOCHA reports that the UN and its partners continue to support national authorities in scaling up the response to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Yesterday in Tshopo Province, the first Ebola treatment centre in the provincial capital Kisangani was opened. The 50-bed facility is expanding treatment capacity in a province that continues to report new Ebola cases, with 24 confirmed cases recorded to date.
The UN and partners are also strengthening disease surveillance and community engagement in areas at heightened risk of Ebola spreading. In Ituri Province, OCHA recently brought together more than 120 representatives from the mining sector and local authorities to reinforce awareness and disease monitoring in mining communities, where population movements can increase the risk of transmission.
OCHA warns that conflict continues to complicate Ebola response efforts. Recent armed attacks in Haut-Uele and Ituri provinces have displaced civilians into Tshopo Province, raising concerns about the further spread of the disease.
The Ebola outbreak has now expanded across six of the 26 provinces in the DRC. As of 8 September, national health authorities had reported more than 6,800 confirmed cases and over 3,300 deaths.
OCHA reiterates the need for safe and unhindered humanitarian access to communities in need and sustained international support to help contain the outbreak and deliver life-saving assistance.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA).
