Battle against Ebola being lost amid militarized response, MSF says
Source: Reuters
WORLD NEWS MARCH 7, 2019 / 7:16 AM / UPDATED 2 HOURS AGO
Battle against Ebola being lost amid militarized response, MSF says
Tom Miles
3 MIN READ
GENEVA (Reuters) - The battle against Ebola in Democratic Republic of Congo is failing because ordinary people do not trust health workers and an overly militarized response is alienating patients and families, the medical charity MSF said on Thursday.
Last week Medecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) suspended medical activities at the focal point of the epidemic after two of its facilities were torched by unidentified assailants.
MSFs international president Joanne Liu said the outbreak, which has killed 569 people, would not be beaten unless the community trusted the authorities and were treated humanely.
The existing atmosphere can only be described as toxic, Liu told reporters in Geneva.
Ebola responders were increasingly seen as the enemy, with more than 30 attacks and incidents against the Ebola response in the past month alone, she said.
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https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-ebola-congo/battle-against-ebola-being-lost-amid-militarized-response-msf-says-idUSKCN1QO1F1