03.08.2018

New Ebola outbreak in DR Congo!

After the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the Ebola outbreak in western DRC to be over on 25 July 2018, new cases of the dangerous infectious disease have now appeared in eastern DRC. The UEM member church CBCA (Baptist Church) therefore urges support so that the highly contagious Ebola fever cannot spread into a deadly epidemic in the eastern region of the Central African state. The following is a report by CBCA employee Polisi Kivava from the East Congolese district town of Goma:

Peace be upon you!
I hereby inform you that an outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus has been officially declared by the Governor of the province of North Kivu in the area of Beni, in particular in the village of Mangina, about 17 km west of the city of Beni. Beni, the seat of the administration of the same name, is located 70 km north of Butembo or about 360 km north of Goma City.
According to the latest information, about 20 people could already have lost their lives as a result of the deadly virus. The person responsible for emergencies and combating them sent the following message to CBCA headquarters:

CBCA STRATEGY FOR THE PREVENTION AND CONTROL OF THE EBOLA VIRUS IN THE BENI AREA

Yesterday, 1 August 2018, the Governor of North Kivu Province officially confirmed the existence of positively tested cases of the deadly Ebola virus in Mangina, a village of more than 10,000 inhabitants located 17 km west of the city of Beni and about 70 km from Butembo City.
The disease has already claimed 20 lives. The deaths have created fear in the people of North Kivu province, whose livelihood depends on basic food crops in the fertile area around Beni. The occurrence of disease and death poses a real threat to public health due to the socio-economic importance of this region, as most of the food consumed in Beni, such as manioc, rice and vegetables, comes from this region.

The CBCA is very present in the affected area of Beni because of its social structures:

• In Beni Territory there are four CBCA church circles
• 171 primary schools, 106 of which are primary schools, 61 secondary schools and 4 kindergartens
• 35 health facilities, including 6 surgical centres, 10 health centres and 19 health stations
• Cooperation with all health facilities in Beni and the local administration.

According to the CBCA Emergency and Community Resilience service, whose task is to prevent and combat natural and man-made disasters, the CBCA is currently pursuing the following strategy:

• Raising people's awareness of the dangers in their homes, schools and churches and taking preventive measures;
• Equipping schools, churches and other public institutions with hygiene material;
• Equipping the health centres with the necessary medicines and materials to be able to provide initial health services;
• Cooperation with other organisations involved in the fight against the epidemic.

In short, the CBCA follows a collaborative approach with a special focus on:

• Community consciousness,
• Support of the health facilities for a quick reaction,
• Equipping the communities with materials for prevention as well as hygienic devices.

Urgent needUnder this strategy, the CBCA needs support in financing megaphone awareness-raising activities, producing flyers, training multipliers to raise awareness, equipping social institutions such as schools and churches in particular with hygiene materials and equipment in the vulnerable areas of North Kivu Province.Please help us provide our health facilities with protective equipment such as gloves and essential medicines for the treatment of Ebola patients. Goma, August 2, 2018Donat MALEMO, CBCA Emergency and Resilience OfficerWe will keep you informed of further developments in the region, but one thing is certain: we need your prayers and support!With kind regardsPolisi Kivava Donations to: United Evangelical Mission, KD-Bank eG, IBAN DE 45 3506 0190 0009 0909 08; BIC: GENO DE DI DKD, keyword: Ebola-Ostkongo The Evangelical Church in the Rhineland (EKiR), the Evangelical Church of Westphalia (EKvW) and the United Evangelical Mission (UEM) are helping the Congolese Baptist Church (CBCA) to cope with the recent Ebola outbreak in North Kivu with an immediate aid of 30,000 euros.