Dr. Pierre Rollin is an expert on Ebola with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says by many measures the response to the current Ebola outbreak in the Congo is still stuck at square one, according to an article on the NPR website.
More than 300 people have already been infected, making this outbreak the biggest in DRC history. For weeks, the count of new infections has remained at around 30 new cases per week. "We're not making any progress," Rollin said.
Plus, there are still a lot of people who die in their homes, cared for by relatives who don't know to use protective gear – setting off new chains of transmission.
Unlike previous Congo outbreaks, this one is in an eastern part of the country that has been by conflict. Rollin said the situation could get even worse in late December, when DRC is set to hold national elections.
CRAB Alert: The EVS Role in Preventing Infection
Why Hospital Waiting Rooms Aren't Going Away
Ground Broken on Mount Sinai Tisch Cancer Hospital
Design, Compartmentation, Training: How Defend-in-Place Strategies Can Protect Patients
Milestone Marked with Topping Out Ceremony for BayCare Hospital Manatee