Communities need access to clean water, functioning sanitation facilities, trusted local information and healthcare services that can cope with demand.
Two months into the world’s largest Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, up to 20,000 people are being forced to fetch drinking water from a single water source inside the grounds of an Ebola treatment centre in Bunia.
Oxfam staff report that most health centres in Ebola hotspots remain without clean water and sanitation support – leaving dangerous gaps in one of the most important defences against Ebola transmission.
Funding shortages are also slowing down community outreach activities, one of the most critical components to stop the spread of misinformation and improve surveillance.
Behind every statistic is a family living with fear and uncertainty. Parents are trying to protect their children in communities where access to clean water and healthcare is already severely limited.
— Jim Clarken, Oxfam Ireland CEO
"We know what works in stopping Ebola. Communities need access to clean water, functioning sanitation facilities, trusted local information and healthcare services that can cope with demand. The tragedy is that many of these interventions are being constrained by a lack of funding, not a lack of knowledge," Jim Clarken added.
“An Ebola outbreak cannot be contained by treatment centres alone. It is stopped in communities, through clean water, public trust and early action. Right now, all three are under threat from chronic underfunding. The window to prevent a much larger emergency is narrowing rapidly as funding stalls."
"Health workers are doing everything they can, but many are working without even basic protective equipment like gloves, and that's why we are seeing high rates of infection among medical staff across different locations in Ituri. The health centres were not prepared.”
— Dr. Manenji Mangundu, Oxfam Country Director for Democratic Republic of the Congo.
More than 1,926 Ebola cases have been confirmed with over 702 deaths reported across 42 health zones in eastern DRC, according to the DRC’s Ministry of Health. Despite the growing toll, the response continues to dangerously lag behind with around 70 new cases reported nearly every day.
While contact tracing has now reached 80 per cent coverage, it remains well below the more than 90 per cent achieved at the same stage of the Ebola outbreak in 2018.
Two months on, NGO community engagement activities have reached just 10 per cent coverage, a fraction of what is needed to help contain transmission, according to Centre for Diseases Prevention.
Oxfam Ireland is calling for the urgent investment to restore safe water and better equip health facilities and communities so that families can have basic protection mechanisms.
Every delay without action allows the virus to spread further putting more lives at risk.
Kate Brayden, Media Officer – Oxfam Ireland kate.brayden@oxfam.org +353 (0)87 749 7447 Clare Cronin, Head of Communications – Oxfam Ireland clare.cronin@oxfam.org +353 (0)87 195 2551
Oxfam is one of the few organisations providing water, sanitation and community engagement support in Butembo, Mongwalu and Rwampara zones. Oxfam urgently needs 10 million euro in funding to restore basic water and sanitation services in affected health zones before the outbreak spirals further.
Oxfam is also supporting community volunteers with training and public information activities to help families understand how to protect themselves from Ebola and to stop misinformation.
Behind every statistic is a family living with fear and uncertainty. Parents are trying to protect their children in communities where access to clean water and healthcare is already severely limited.
