World Health Organization officials say this is the problem they were 'dreading.'
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| Medical workers attend to an Ebola patient in a Biosecure Emergency Care Unit in the city of Beni in Congo's North Kivu province |
THE EBOLA OUTBREAK IN the Democratic Republic of Congo has spread to a conflict zone surrounded by rebels, creating challenges for healthcare workers.
The World Health Organization's Emergency Response Chief Peter Salama said at a press conference Friday that 103 confirmed cases have been confirmed as of Thursday, with 63 deaths in six distinct locations. He added that officials have documented one confirmed case, as well as a suspected and a probable case, in the city of Oicha in Congo's North Kivu province.
Following the confirmed case within the city, vaccinations were begun. Since the outbreak, about 2,900 people have been vaccinated.
Oicha itself is not controlled by rebels. However, it is surrounded completely by territory held by the Ugandan insurgent group Allied Democratic Forces. The road to Oicha is a "red zone," and staff from WHO are only allowed to travel to the area with armed escorts, but they can move freely within Oicha.
"For the first time really we have a confirmed case … in an area with high insecurity," Salama said. "It really was the problem we were anticipating and the problem at the same time we were dreading."
Insurgents in the surrounding areas have attacked government and military personnel and aid workers, and killed civilians. Additionally, priests and government personnel continue to be held hostage by the insurgent group.
Salama said WHO is putting its staff "at risk on a daily basis." The entire area of Northern Kivu is classified as United Nations Security Phase 4, the second highest threat classification that normally would signal "pre-evacuation" for UN staff.
"There are extremely serious security concerns in and around that region," Salama said.
Although not in the red zone, violence broke out on Wednesday after an Ebola patient died near the town of Mangina. After learning of the death, young people from the patient's village burned down a health center. No serious injuries were reported, but the road to the village had to be closed temporarily, Salama said.
This is the 10th Ebola outbreak to hit the country since 1976. It began on Aug. 1 in the North Kivu town of Mangina.
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