Why Ebola keeps returning to DRC: A heartbreaking human toll

Families in Mongbwalu mourn Ebola deaths as another outbreak spreads in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. A father describes the loss of his daughter and says authorities failed to contain the outbreak quickly after initial cases were reported in the town. Residents report daily deaths while local health services struggle to respond. Repeated epidemics reflect fragile healthcare systems, poverty, and ongoing conflict that increase vulnerability to deadly disease. A doctor who previously worked on Ebola response links recurring outbreaks to unsafe food practices, limited access to clean water, and weaknesses in healthcare delivery. Remote hospitals are hard to reach and may have unqualified staff.

"Sadiki Patrick, 40, is still grappling with the loss of his 15-year-old daughter, Judith, in Mongbwalu, a mining town in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. Judith is one of the latest victims of Ebola as the country battles yet another outbreak, the seventeenth in just 50 years. It is heartbreaking to lose my third child in the prime of her youth, Patrick, whose name has been changed to protect his identity, told Al Jazeera. I sent her to school so that she could be educated and become a valuable member of society. Now, she is a thing of the past, he said, his voice heavy with sorrow."

"He described the situation in Mongbwalu as dire, accusing authorities of failing to act quickly enough to contain the outbreak before it had spread. According to Congolese authorities, Mongbwalu is where the first cases of the new Ebola outbreak were reported. Residents describe daily deaths in the village, while local health services struggle to respond. The recurring epidemics in the DRC highlight how fragile healthcare systems, poverty, and ongoing conflict leave communities especially vulnerable to deadly diseases."

"Francine Mbona Pendeza, a Congolese doctor who helped fight Ebola in the North Kivu province between 2018 and 2020, said that unsafe food practices, limited access to clean water, and weaknesses in the healthcare system are a major factor in the repeated epidemics. Our people are used to eating raw or undercooked food. We grill meat that isn't cooked through, which allows germs to thrive and causes outbreaks. Another factor is access to clean water, which is dire in the DRC, she told Al Jazeera."

"She added that hospitals in remote areas are difficult to reach. To find a hospital, especially in remote areas, you have to travel many kilometres. And sometimes, you might reach a hospital only to find unqualified staff"

Read at www.aljazeera.com