DR Congo: Facing a New Ebola Threat, A Goma Clinic Steps Up

Country: Democratic Republic of the Congo Source: Direct Relief The Jericho Road Wellness Clinic in Goma, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, will receive $2.5 million in personal protective gear, medication, and supplies from Direct Relief. A significant number of these items will be used to protect staff and treat patients at a district Ebola containment center. By Talya Meyers Share Since an outbreak of Ebola was announced in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Jericho Road Wellness Clinic in Goma, in the country’s east, has seen an influx of frightened patients. “They don’t come to test for Ebola” at this point, said director Chantal Mandro. “They come to be sure that they are doing well.” Hundreds of cases had been confirmed in the DRC, and seven in Uganda, as of last week. Historically, hospitals and clinics have become more dangerous during Ebola outbreaks, leading many patients to avoid them, as they did during the Covid-19 pandemic. Still, Mandro and her staff screen every patient for fever and other symptoms of Ebola before they can enter the facility. Anyone who has symptoms or has traveled to Ituri Province, the center of this new outbreak, has to be kept separate from other patients. Potential cases will be sent on to a nearby hospital. In North Kivu province, where Goma is located, government officials and healthcare providers are gearing up for a large-scale response. Putting together enough medicine, personal protective equipment, or PPE, and medical supplies to run an effective containment center is an urgent concern. “They don’t have enough PPE. They don’t have enough anything,” Mandro said of local responders. A shipment from Direct Relief , containing $2.5 million in personal protective equipment, medicine, diagnostics, and supportive care treatments, ha...

Original source: Relief Web