Ebola outbreak poses massive challenges, warns nurse
Kate White, a programme manager for Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), says she is "extremely concerned about the inability to get resources" to the Democratic Republic of Congo. White is flying out to the Democratic Republic of Congo. White flew from Manchester Airport on Sunday as part of an international relief effort.
The Ebola outbreak has resulted in more than 200 suspected deaths and more than 850 suspected cases. Three Red Cross volunteers who died earlier this month were among the first known victims of DR Congo's Ebola outbreak. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recently said the disease may be spreading faster than originally thought and has declared a public health emergency of international concern. There is no approved vaccine for this outbreak, and there are also no drugs that target it. The virus is believed to have led to the deaths of more than 200 people since April. White said, "This [outbreak] has been going on for a substantive period of time before it was picked up, which means we don't fully understand the chains of transmission," and "When we don't fully understand that, it becomes much more difficult to get it under control."
Health workers have been monitoring people's temperatures as they try to prevent the outbreak spreading. It takes two to 21 days for symptoms to appear.
Quick Summary
A nurse warns that the Ebola outbreak is posing massive challenges for medical aid organizations- especially getting resources to the Democratic Republic of Congo. The inability to confirm cases and airspace closures are making it difficult to get the situation under control.
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