How Ebola became the deadliest outbreak in DR Congo’s history
Conflict, delayed detection, and mistrust are complicating efforts to contain the virus in eastern DR Congo. Bunia, Democratic Republic of the Congo – When three members of his hospital team died within days of treating the same patient, Dr Richard Lokudu suspected Ebola had been spreading before authorities detected the outbreak. The patient had arrived at Mongbwalu General Hospital in Ituri Province for surgery in early April, weeks before the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) officially declared an Ebola outbreak. “Before the outbreak was declared, we discovered at the hospital that there was a patient who had been admitted on 2 April and who was due to undergo surgery performed by our team on 7 April,” Lokudu told Al Jazeera. “Almost a month later, we recorded the deaths of the surgical assistant, the anaesthetist, and a member of the post-operative care team.” The deaths were among the first warning signs of an Ebola outbreak that would become the deadliest in the DRC’s history.
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Three months after authorities declared the outbreak, more than 4,900 confirmed cases have been recorded, and more than 2,300 people have died, according to health authorities and international agencies. For people living in affected communities, the figures represent personal losses. “Only God can spare us from this disaster,” says Furaha Gisèle, 35, whose uncle died of Ebola in Rwampara, about 10km (6.2 miles) from Bunia, the capital of Ituri Province. “Coping with insecurity, poor governance, and poverty all at once is difficult, and I fear we will also suffer from this deadly epidemic.” Health officials say transmission was already taking place before the outbreak was officially declared on May 15.
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Conflict, delayed detection, and mistrust are complicating efforts to contain the virus in eastern DR Congo. Bunia, Democratic Republic of the Congo – When three members of his hospital team died within days of treating the same patient, Dr Richard Lokudu suspected Ebola had been spreading before authorities detected the outbreak. The patient had arrived at Mongbwalu General Hospital in Ituri Province for surgery in early April, weeks before the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) officially declared an Ebola outbreak. “Before the outbreak was declared, we discovered at the hospital that there was a patient who had been admitted on 2 April and who was due to undergo surgery performed by our team on 7 April,” Lokudu told Al Jazeera. “Almost a month later, we recorded the deaths of the surgical assistant, the anaesthetist, and a member of the post-operative care team.” The deaths were among the first warning signs of an Ebola outbreak that would become the deadliest in the DRC’s history.
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Conflict, delayed detection, and mistrust are complicating efforts to contain the virus in eastern DR Congo. Bunia, Democratic Republic of the Congo – When three members of his hospital team died within days of treating the same patient, Dr Richard Lokudu suspected Ebola had been spreading before authorities detected the outbreak. The patient had arrived at Mongbwalu General Hospital in Ituri Province for surgery in early April, weeks before the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) officially declared an Ebola outbreak. “Before the outbreak was declared, we discovered at the hospital that there was a patient who had been admitted on 2 April and who was due to undergo surgery performed by our team on 7 April,” Lokudu told Al Jazeera. “Almost a month later, we recorded the deaths of the surgical assistant, the anaesthetist, and a member of the post-operative care team.” The deaths were among the first warning signs of an Ebola outbreak that would become the deadliest in the DRC’s history.
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Conflict, delayed detection, and mistrust are complicating efforts to contain the virus in eastern DR Congo. Bunia, Democratic Republic of the Congo – When three members of his hospital team died within days of treating the same patient, Dr Richard Lokudu suspected Ebola had been spreading before authorities detected the outbreak. The patient had arrived at Mongbwalu General Hospital in Ituri Province for surgery in early April, weeks before the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) officially declared an Ebola outbreak. “Before the outbreak was declared, we discovered at the hospital that there was a patient who had been admitted on 2 April and who was due to undergo surgery performed by our team on 7 April,” Lokudu told Al Jazeera. “Almost a month later, we recorded the deaths of the surgical assistant, the anaesthetist, and a member of the post-operative care team.” The deaths were among the first warning signs of an Ebola outbreak that would become the deadliest in the DRC’s history.
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Removed by Scoop Timeline eligibility policy
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Conflict, delayed detection, and mistrust are complicating efforts to contain the virus in eastern DR Congo. Bunia, Democratic Republic of the Congo – When three members of his hospital team died within days of treating the same patient, Dr Richard Lokudu suspected Ebola had been spreading before authorities detected the outbreak. The patient had arrived at Mongbwalu General Hospital in Ituri Province for surgery in early April, weeks before the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) officially declared an Ebola outbreak. “Before the outbreak was declared, we discovered at the hospital that there was a patient who had been admitted on 2 April and who was due to undergo surgery performed by our team on 7 April,” Lokudu told Al Jazeera. “Almost a month later, we recorded the deaths of the surgical assistant, the anaesthetist, and a member of the post-operative care team.” The deaths were among the first warning signs of an Ebola outbreak that would become the deadliest in the DRC’s history.
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Conflict, delayed detection, and mistrust are complicating efforts to contain the virus in eastern DR Congo. Bunia, Democratic Republic of the Congo – When three members of his hospital team died within days of treating the same patient, Dr Richard Lokudu suspected Ebola had been spreading before authorities detected the outbreak. The patient had arrived at Mongbwalu General Hospital in Ituri Province for surgery in early April, weeks before the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) officially declared an Ebola outbreak. “Before the outbreak was declared, we discovered at the hospital that there was a patient who had been admitted on 2 April and who was due to undergo surgery performed by our team on 7 April,” Lokudu told Al Jazeera. “Almost a month later, we recorded the deaths of the surgical assistant, the anaesthetist, and a member of the post-operative care team.” The deaths were among the first warning signs of an Ebola outbreak that would become the deadliest in the DRC’s history.
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Conflict, delayed detection, and mistrust are complicating efforts to contain the virus in eastern DR Congo. Bunia, Democratic Republic of the Congo – When three members of his hospital team died within days of treating the same patient, Dr Richard Lokudu suspected Ebola had been spreading before authorities detected the outbreak. The patient had arrived at Mongbwalu General Hospital in Ituri Province for surgery in early April, weeks before the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) officially declared an Ebola outbreak. “Before the outbreak was declared, we discovered at the hospital that there was a patient who had been admitted on 2 April and who was due to undergo surgery performed by our team on 7 April,” Lokudu told Al Jazeera. “Almost a month later, we recorded the deaths of the surgical assistant, the anaesthetist, and a member of the post-operative care team.” The deaths were among the first warning signs of an Ebola outbreak that would become the deadliest in the DRC’s history.
Version 14unpublished
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Conflict, delayed detection, and mistrust are complicating efforts to contain the virus in eastern DR Congo. Bunia, Democratic Republic of the Congo – When three members of his hospital team died within days of treating the same patient, Dr Richard Lokudu suspected Ebola had been spreading before authorities detected the outbreak. The patient had arrived at Mongbwalu General Hospital in Ituri Province for surgery in early April, weeks before the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) officially declared an Ebola outbreak. “Before the outbreak was declared, we discovered at the hospital that there was a patient who had been admitted on 2 April and who was due to undergo surgery performed by our team on 7 April,” Lokudu told Al Jazeera. “Almost a month later, we recorded the deaths of the surgical assistant, the anaesthetist, and a member of the post-operative care team.” The deaths were among the first warning signs of an Ebola outbreak that would become the deadliest in the DRC’s history.
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Conflict, delayed detection, and mistrust are complicating efforts to contain the virus in eastern DR Congo. Bunia, Democratic Republic of the Congo – When three members of his hospital team died within days of treating the same patient, Dr Richard Lokudu suspected Ebola had been spreading before authorities detected the outbreak. The patient had arrived at Mongbwalu General Hospital in Ituri Province for surgery in early April, weeks before the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) officially declared an Ebola outbreak. “Before the outbreak was declared, we discovered at the hospital that there was a patient who had been admitted on 2 April and who was due to undergo surgery performed by our team on 7 April,” Lokudu told Al Jazeera. “Almost a month later, we recorded the deaths of the surgical assistant, the anaesthetist, and a member of the post-operative care team.” The deaths were among the first warning signs of an Ebola outbreak that would become the deadliest in the DRC’s history.
Version 18unpublished
Removed by Scoop Timeline eligibility policy
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Conflict, delayed detection, and mistrust are complicating efforts to contain the virus in eastern DR Congo. Bunia, Democratic Republic of the Congo – When three members of his hospital team died within days of treating the same patient, Dr Richard Lokudu suspected Ebola had been spreading before authorities detected the outbreak. The patient had arrived at Mongbwalu General Hospital in Ituri Province for surgery in early April, weeks before the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) officially declared an Ebola outbreak. “Before the outbreak was declared, we discovered at the hospital that there was a patient who had been admitted on 2 April and who was due to undergo surgery performed by our team on 7 April,” Lokudu told Al Jazeera. “Almost a month later, we recorded the deaths of the surgical assistant, the anaesthetist, and a member of the post-operative care team.” The deaths were among the first warning signs of an Ebola outbreak that would become the deadliest in the DRC’s history.
