Ebola response

Last updated September 2018

An outbreak of Ebola in eastern areas of the Democratic Republic of Congo has resulted in and 118 confirmed/probable cases and 77 deaths. Oxfam and other organizations responding to the outbreak are particularly concerned about reported cases in areas where armed militias are in control, which may be hard to reach with assistance.

There are more than four million people already displaced by conflict, and thousands more are recently on the move in Kasai, Ituru, and Tanganyika due to recent fighting. In Kasai alone Oxfam estimated there are 700,000 displaced people.

Oxfam is responding to the Ebola outbreak in North Kivu and Ituri. The main areas of work are in community engagement, which informs people about the disease, how to prevent it, and when/how to seek treatment. Talking with people, listening to their concerns, and helping them to understand the disease is essential in building the trust of communities and minimizing the spread of the outbreak.

We have set up 100 hand washing stations and gone door to door to tell people about how to prevent Ebola. So far we have engaged 10,000 people with messages about Ebola.

Oxfam is also continuing to help people affected by conflict in Kasai, Tanganyika, and South Kivu. We are providing more than 400,000 people with humanitarian assistance in these areas of the DRC.