DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO
Runaway Outbreak
A deadly outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo shows no signs of slowing, despite the promising antiviral drugs and a vaccine that were not widely available in past epidemics.
Following 907 cases and 569 deaths linked to the disease near the country’s borders with Rwanda, South Sudan and Uganda, fears are rising that the epidemic could easily spread to those countries, the New York Times reported.
And those trying to help are a big part of the problem, the paper said, as heavy-handed tactics by the police, military and other organizations have alienated the local people, making them less likely to heed warnings about how the disease is spread.
“The existing atmosphere can only be described as toxic,” Joanne Liu, president of Doctors Without Borders, said at a news conference in Geneva on Thursday.
The result has been more than 30 different incidents and attacks on workers and facilities responding to the outbreak in the last month alone, she said.
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