Expert warns of Ebola spread in Africa
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Tribune Online
Global health expert Olayinka Stephen Ilesanmi says delays in funding and technical support are complicating the fight against Ebola in the DRC. He says the delays are contributing to missed cases, delayed treatment and the spread of the virus, according to Tribune Online.
Delays in delivering international funding, personnel and medical equipment are complicating the fight against the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dr Olayinka Stephen Ilesanmi, a healthcare administration specialist at Fayetteville State University in the United States, said in an interview with Tribune Online. According to him, these shortcomings are slowing epidemiological surveillance, contact tracing, patient care and access to protective equipment.
The specialist also highlighted the consequences of insecurity in affected areas. Recent attacks on health facilities in North Kivu reportedly forced patients to flee, increasing the risks of community transmission. The movement of medical teams and the transport of laboratory samples are also complicated by the size of the country, poor road conditions and difficulties accessing some areas.
A former regional head of the Africa programme at the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), Olayinka Stephen Ilesanmi took part in the response to the Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone between 2014 and 2016. He recalls that the United States then deployed experts from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, while the United Kingdom supported Sierra Leone and France supported Guinea. Medical teams, engineers and military personnel also contributed to the operations.
The expert believes that international commitments to support the Democratic Republic of the Congo must translate into resources actually available on the ground. He considers that the outbreak does not concern the DRC alone, because the spread of infectious diseases does not stop at national borders.
