The current outbreak of the Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which according to the latest count has already reached 2,578 cases and 1,737 deaths, was declared a "public health emergency of international concern" by the World Health Organization last week. Since the outbreak began almost a year ago, the organization has classified it as a Level 3 emergencyâthe most seriousâwhich has triggered the organization's maximum mobilization. For its part, the United Nations has also recognized the severity of the emergency and activated humanitarian aid protocols to support the Ebola response.
In the new magazine of Juan Ciudad ONGD "Entretodos" that you can read here, we include an interview with Dr. Rafael Delgado and a report on the Ebola virus, research advances, and lessons learned from the West African epidemic that affected the Hospitaller Order of Saint John of God.
This institution had to face the virus in the last epidemic of 2013-2016 in its hospitals and clinics in Sierra Leone and Liberia, resulting in the death of 18 people, including the two Brothers Miguel Pajares and Manuel GarcĂa Viejo, who were repatriated to Spain in August and September 2014. Juan Ciudad ONGD was the organization in charge of channeling aid and supporting the OHSJD centers so that they could reopen during the emergency, giving priority to maternal and child services, in order to serve the most vulnerable population that had been neglected.
Laboratory of Saint Joseph's Hospital in Monrovia in March 2019.
Managing that crisis was very demanding and painful, but it taught us many lessons, such as the importance of working side by side with local communities, the commitment of African health workers, and above all: Infection, Prevention and Control (IPC), which brings together all protocols for the prevention and control of infectious diseases.
Therefore, since 2014, Juan Ciudad NGO has continued to support our partners in Sierra Leone and Liberia, enabling them to strengthen their healthcare facilities through cooperation projects, volunteering, and logistical support. The data is encouraging, as the affected centers have gradually recovered from the crisis they suffered after being closed and quarantined, taking several months to adapt to an Ebola scenario.
However, hospitals have not yet reached pre-Ebola levels, as can be seen in this graph showing the number of outpatient visits by year.
In this context, it is crucial to continue working to strengthen the health systems of impoverished countries, which will be the first barrier to detecting the emergence of new outbreaks and raising the alarm in time.
As stated by the Dr. Rafael Delgado In the interview we published, although a new pandemic like the 1918 Spanish flu, which killed nearly 50 million people, is possible, "we now have more and more resources, such as surveillance, the development of a whole range of technologies, international networks, international cooperation, and rapid detection measures. We know the world isn't a perfect place, but there are some things that are being done well."
Opening photo: WHO/Matthew Taylor
Text and photo below: Adriana Castro. Juan Ciudad NGO Communications
