Uganda declares itself Ebola-free after swiftly turning tide on outbreak
Kampala, Uganda Reuters Uganda on Wednesday declared the end of a nearly four-month Ebola outbreak that it briefly struggled to contain but was then able to swiftly bring under control despite the absence of a proven vaccine against the viral strain in question. “We have successfully controlled the spread of Ebola in Uganda,” Health Minister […]
In Uganda, clergy commend government, health workers for ending Ebola
Kampala, Uganda Catholic and Anglican bishops in Uganda have hailed government, health care providers and the public for their role in fighting and ending the Ebola outbreak in the country. The bishops made the remarks in their Christmas message to Christians. “We need to thank the government and health workers for working tirelessly to control […]
“Our hands are tied”: Liberia grapples with heaps of city waste
Monrovia, LiberiaReuters As the sun set over Liberia’s vast West Point slum, youth leader Archie Gbezay shook his head as children meandered around dense piles of trash, playing catch with jars of old hair product plucked from polluted puddles of water. Gbezay, 34, has seen his neighbours in corrugated iron shacks grapple with […]
DRC: Ebola survivors unite to combat stigma and misinformation
The Democratic Republic of Congo declared an end to the latest outbreak of Ebola in the African nation last week. KAHINDO SIFA BAHATI, of Thomson Reuters Foundation, reports on how survivors of a previous outbreak are challenging the stigma associated with the deadly disease…
Struggling to be heard: Congo’s women stepped up to fight Ebola. Now they want equality
ANGE KASONGO, of Thomson Reuters Foundation, reports on how, given opportunities that were previously unheard of during the Ebola crisis, women are pushing for a greater voice in their communities…
Feared and forgotten: Congo’s Ebola orphans work to survive
KAHINDO SIFA BAHATI, writing for Thomson Reuters Foundation, reports on how hundreds of children orphaned by Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo have been driven to work amid trauma, discrimination and fear around the disease…
Ebola, other outbreaks, atop COVID-19, risk straining West Africa health systems – WHO
Nairobi, KenyaReuters The World Health Organisation warned on Thursday that on top of the COVID-19 pandemic, West Africa is facing new outbreaks of the viral haemorrhagic fevers Marburg and Ebola, risking huge strains on ill-equipped health systems. The new outbreaks show the multitude of challenges governments are fighting in parallel with the COVID-19 pandemic, Matshidiso […]
Essay: The pandemic isn’t over, and misinformation can still be deadly
In an article first published on Religion News Service, MYAL GREENE, senior vice president of international programs with US-based humanitarian organisation World Relief, looks at the key role countering misinformation plays in combatting outbreaks like the coronavirus pandemic…
UK lawmakers hear more reports of aid worker sex abuse in Congo
Dakar, SenegalThomson Reuters Foundation Britain’s charity watchdog said it has received reports of at least eight cases of sexual assault and abuse by aid workers in Democratic Republic of Congo, vowing to ensure “robust action”. It said the incidents were reported both before and after an investigation published last month by the Thomson Reuters Foundation […]
WHO names independent body to investigate Congo sex abuse claims
Dakar, SenegalThomson Reuters Foundation The World Health Organization said last week it was setting up a seven-person independent commission to investigate claims of sexual exploitation and abuse by aid workers during the recent Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo. In an investigation published last month by the Thomson Reuters Foundation and The New Humanitarian, […]