The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is putting health authorities under growing pressure despite a major increase in funding and supplies.
Personal protective equipment is no longer in short supply. Humanitarian funding has also increased as international partners step up their response.
However, the outbreak continues to spread.
The United States has allocated $512 million to the Ebola response. It has also committed $350 million for humanitarian assistance in the region.
Congo still needs more health workers
One of the biggest challenges is a shortage of trained health workers.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says nearly 1,400 treatment beds have been established across 59 treatment centres.
However, another 1,600 beds are still needed.
That would bring the planned treatment capacity to about 3,000 beds.
WHO estimates that about three health workers are needed for each Ebola patient bed.
As a result, around 9,000 health workers will be required when the full capacity is reached.
That means about 5,000 additional workers must be recruited and trained.
The outbreak has spread to six provinces
The Ebola outbreak began in Bunia but has since moved beyond its initial epicentre.
WHO says it has now affected six provinces.
Authorities are responding by building treatment centres closer to communities where new cases are being reported.
This decentralised approach is intended to bring care closer to patients.
It is also aimed at making the response faster as the virus spreads across northeastern Congo.
Experienced response groups are also in short supply
Funding alone has not solved the problem.
WHO technical officer Luca Fontana said there are only a few international organisations with the expertise needed to establish and run Ebola treatment centres.
He said broader cuts in donor funding have affected the number of organisations available to help.
That has created another bottleneck.
Some experienced organisations are already managing existing treatment centres. Therefore, they have limited capacity to move into newly affected areas.
WHO estimates that running a 50-bed Ebola treatment centre costs about $500,000.
The agency has urged more partners to join the response so experienced teams can move where they are most needed.
Congo needs more funding for the response
The Congolese government has a six-month Ebola response plan worth $1.3 billion.
WHO is urging international donors to increase their contributions.
The call comes as health authorities try to expand treatment capacity and respond to new areas affected by the virus.
The latest figures show why the pressure remains high.
WHO says the Bundibugyo strain has caused more than 6,000 infections and over 3,175 deaths in Congo. The outbreak has become the country’s worst Ebola epidemic.
The response is still racing against the virus
The situation shows that supplies and money are only part of the fight against Ebola.
Health authorities also need trained workers, experienced organisations and strong local operations.
For now, Congo is expanding treatment centres while trying to recruit thousands more health workers.
International partners are also being urged to provide more support.
The goal is to prevent the Ebola outbreak from gaining further ground as the response continues to expand.
Source: NBCnews
