“Act Now Before It’s Too Late”
A doctor on the ground in Congo describes what’s coming if the world doesn’t respond to the Ebola outbreak fast enough.
The WHO declared the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on May 16th. As of this week, there are 125 confirmed cases and over 900 suspected cases across three provinces. The virus has reached Goma and Bukavu — major urban centers with heavy population movement — and cases have crossed into Uganda.
This is the Bundibugyo species of Ebola, for which there is no approved vaccine or specific treatment.
I spoke with Dr. Abdou Sebushishe, Senior Health Advisor at International Medical Corps, who is on the ground guiding the response. He describes what Goma could look like in a month — no public gatherings, schools and churches shut down, healthcare workers falling sick, health facilities closing — and makes the case for why the world needs to act now.
What Dr. Sebushishe is asking for is concrete: trained Ebola specialists, isolation capacity, PPE stock not just for Ebola units but for regular health facilities so routine care — childhood vaccinations, maternal health — doesn’t collapse alongside the outbreak response.
The only way to stop this, he says, is strict infection control, rapid isolation, and full community participation. But the community can’t do it alone.
