A senior World Health Organization (WHO) official said on Friday that 75 medical workers in the Democratic Republic of Congo have been infected with Ebola since the current outbreak began, with 17 of them having died.
The outbreak, which was officially declared by Congolese authorities on May 15, is believed to have been circulating for months before it was confirmed. According to health officials, this meant many medical staff were exposed to the virus before they were aware it was present.
As reported in Reuters, WHO emergency director Marie Roseline Belizaire, speaking via video link from eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, said the toll on healthcare workers reflects severe system strain. “It is a really high price that the system, the healthcare system, is paying, because we don’t have enough of healthcare workers in DRC,” she said.
Health officials also warned that shortages of basic protective equipment, including gloves and masks, are making it harder for medics to respond safely. The country has one of the lowest densities of healthcare workers relative to its population, with around 11 per 10,000 people, according to WHO data.
Belizaire added that China and Uganda are sending medical teams to assist in the response to the outbreak.
The WHO is also providing psychological support to healthcare workers who have been affected emotionally after witnessing colleagues fall ill or die. “When they are explaining to you how they live it, how they were infected … it can break your heart,” she said.
