Its a matter of life and death in Democratic Republic of the Congo following of Ebola outbreak. Women are being forced to have sex in return for Ebola vaccinations. Fears of exploitation by frontline workers in the fight against the deadly disease have been highlighted as the death toll from the latest outbreak in the country passed 500. The women exploitation claims surfaced days after the DRC’s health minister said a vaccination programme has prevented thousands of more deaths.
Studies have revealed concerns that some people are asking for sexual favors in return for Ebola treatments including vaccinations. The matter was raised as officials gathered for a national task force meeting where they were told how research by NGOs have found there is widespread mistrust in health workers.
Officials have revealed that more than 500 people have died from the latest outbreak of Ebola in the country, but a vaccination programme have prevented thousands of more deaths; ”In total, there have been 502 deaths and 271 people cured.” Health Minister, Oly Ilunga Kalenga, said that, for the first time, a vaccination programme had protected 76,425 people and prevented thousands of deaths.
Despite the vaccination nearly 100 children have reportedly died since the outbreak started in August 2018. According to an official statement issued by international organization Save the Children, 65 of the 97 children were under 5 years old. Heather Kerr, director of Save the Children says, ”We are at an intersection. If we do not immediately take the emergency precaution to deal with this, the outbreak can last for six months, or even a full year.”
The outbreak has been declared to be the second largest in history, with reports of at least 731 Ebola cases confirmed within the past six months and 484 deaths. Congo experienced its worst outbreak in 2014 and 2016, with an estimated of 11 thousand fatalities.
The progress to prevent and develop experimental vaccines are hampered by the minimal knowledge people in Congo have about the Ebola. Beyond vaccines, health workers in Congo still need to face other challenges, like the threat from local residents who do not believe in the existence of the Ebola virus while some believe that Ebola is actually distributed from health workers themselves.