The Ebola crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo is spreading like “wildfire”, from what one reads in the media, and with over 3,000 deaths already reported, infections are surging by 1,000 every day.
Dr Srinath Reddy of the Public Health Foundation of India told StratNews Global on The Gist show that “it’s been localized to certain parts of Africa, mainly Central and West Africa. The Democratic Republic of Congo has experienced many outbreaks in the past some of which have crossed the boundaries into other parts of Western and Central Africa. But it’s not even affected East Africa. It has not affected Europe.”
In other words, the Ebola crisis is nowhere near the pandemic status that the Covid virus had. Nevetheless, the fact that it has hit DRC Congo for the 17th time, tells you something is not working, and that something is the outreach in terms of getting people to give up some customary traditions. But it’s not as simple as that.
“There is a preponderance of fruit eating bats in the forest areas of that region. And when bat droppings that includes the fruit eaten by the bats, if only partially consumed and if picked up by humans and eaten, then the humans are likely to contract it.”
Funeral traditions common in the region also increase the danger since these involve touching a dead body, carrying it in procession to a grave and so on. Any contact with a body infected with the Ebola virus is a certain guarantee of death, he warned.
“Protocol demand that nobody should touch the body. People should wear protective gear, wrap up the body in plastic sheets, and then dispose it off and this runs counter to the local culture. And if this is not properly explained to the local community by respected community elders and public health officials, then the battle is lost.
Tune in for more in this conversation with Dr Srinath Reddy of the Public Health Foundation of India.
