A senior World Health Organization official has said 75 medical workers in the Democratic Republic of Congo have contracted Ebola, with 17 of them dying since the current outbreak began.
Speaking on Friday by video link from eastern DR Congo, WHO emergency director Marie Roseline Belizaire said the infections had placed a severe burden on a health system already facing shortages of medical personnel and protective supplies.
Congolese officials declared the Ebola outbreak on May 15. However, health officials believe the virus may have been spreading for months before the declaration. That delay exposed many health workers before they knew Ebola was circulating.
Health Workers Face Shortages of Protective Gear
Belizaire said basic protective equipment, including gloves and masks, remains in short supply. The shortage has increased risks for frontline medical teams treating suspected and confirmed Ebola patients.
“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,” Belizaire told the press conference.
WHO data shows DR Congo has one of the lowest health worker densities in the world, with about 11 healthcare workers for every 10,000 people.
Belizaire said China and Uganda were sending medical teams to support the Ebola response in the country.
WHO Offers Psychological Support to Medics
The WHO is also providing psychological support to some health workers. Belizaire said some medics had become too frightened to treat patients after seeing colleagues fall sick.
“When they are explaining to you how they live it, how they were infected … (it) can break your heart,” she said.
The infections among medical workers highlight the pressure on DR Congo’s Ebola response, especially in areas where health facilities have limited staff and supplies.
