IFRC holds regional meeting on Ebola

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) held a two-day regional meeting this week to review its activities in combating the latest outbreak of Ebola haemorrhagic fever, which has affected populations in Gabon and Congo. A highlight of the meeting, held at the IFRC regional office in the Cameroonian capital, Yaounde, was the report of the IFRC medical team that has been involved in an international effort to fight the Ebola outbreak, which started in December and has so far killed 34 people. At the end of the meeting, the participants, representing six Central African countries, resolved to conduct information campaigns to raise awareness of populations, particularly those living in wooded areas in close proximity to animals. The six countries would also adopt a training curriculum for their volunteers as the group feels that they play an important role in education and prevention, David Dofara, a regional health specialist, told IRIN on Thursday. Volunteers, especially local ones, are important, Dofara said, because they know the community and the culture and are better placed to approach the locals, who have proven to be reticent. The international team, which was been operating in Congo and Gabon, had been chased from one of the affected localities because of hostility from villagers who insisted on performing cultural rites on Ebola victims, despite attempts by the team to stop such practices. Dofara told IRIN that although the situation seemed to be stagnating, villagers had to understand that Ebola is a viral and deadly disease, rather than a witches' curse. They also needed to respect the health measures established to prevent contamination, and report as early as possible anyone who showed symptoms of the disease. The meeting, which was held on Monday and Tuesday, was attended by medical experts from Central African Republic, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and the Republic of Congo. In its last report on the outbreak, issued on 25 January, WHO said that, up to 20 January, the Gabonese government had reported 26 confirmed cases of Ebola, including 23 deaths, while 16 confirmed cases, including 11 deaths, had been reported in the Republic of Congo.