As Ebola resurfaces in DR Congo - critical questions about how to respond shared by Gloria Kodza

An undetected Ebola outbreak of the rare Bundibugyo strain is sweeping through the eastern DRC, with suspected cases already over 600 after slipping under the radar for two months.  To make matters tougher, there are no approved vaccines or treatments for this specific strain, making containment a fierce race against time for local health workers.

For many of us this crisis hits close to home, echoing the familiar battles of trying to stop a deadly virus in an active conflict zone with a tight budget. It is a reminder of why we always advocated for building strong, local healthcare systems rather than just dropping in temporary external aid. Read the full story over at The New Humanitarian here

Some issues to think about:

• Having no vaccine means relying purely on contact tracing and community trust. How did we build local trust during past outbreaks when resources were tight?
• The article mentions that external aid can sometimes create dependency instead of building up local systems. From your experience, what is the best way to ensure international funding actually strengthens local clinics for the long haul?