(The Lion) — Samaritan’s Purse is “running to the fire,” deploying a team of more than 80 people and supplies to help combat an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The team will join more than 300 workers already serving in the African nation, Ken Isaacs, the Christian humanitarian relief organization’s vice president of programs and government relations, told The Lion in an interview.
The additional staff will support local mission hospitals and Ebola treatment centers with personal protective equipment and medical personnel, Isaacs said. The shipment also included equipment to build a 50-bed isolation center, Reuters reported.
“Samaritan’s Purse always runs to the fire, and we’re running to the fire right now,” Isaacs said. “We’re called to the gospel, so that’s what we’re doing. We’re running to the fire to help people.”
Ebola is a deadly virus transmitted through bodily fluids such as sweat, saliva and blood. The humid climate, crowded population and limited access to medical care in the Democratic Republic of Congo make the country especially vulnerable to outbreaks.
Isaacs said the best ways to slow the spread include educating residents about Ebola, encouraging handwashing and limiting physical contact – strategies the organization also used during outbreaks in 2014 and 2018.
“We want people to trust us,” he said. “Doing the public awareness campaign, we have found over the years, is the most effective way to help contain the disease because it’s easier to prevent somebody from getting [Ebola] than it is to help them survive if they get sick.”
Trust is especially important because of misinformation surrounding the virus, Isaacs said. Some residents believe treatment facilities are bringing Ebola into their communities or claim the virus does not exist. Samaritan’s Purse hopes to counter those claims and provide accurate information about the outbreak.
“At one point I remember telling [the townspeople] ‘You can kill me, you can kill my colleagues, but it doesn’t matter, the disease will kill you. It will do it at a place and a time of its own choosing. We’re not lying to you, we’re telling you that this is real,’” Isaacs said about the 2018 outbreak. “At the end of the day, we had built trust with them and that was the last major incident we had of anybody trying to attack our treatment center.”
Misinformation has also fueled anger over burial restrictions. Traditional burial customs in the region often involve washing and dressing the body before burial, but infected corpses carry extremely high viral loads and remain highly contagious, Isaacs explained.
Because of the risk, medical workers have prevented family members from touching bodies or conducting customary burial practices.
Residents set fire to an Ebola treatment center in Rwampara on May 21 in protest over the burial limitations. The violence reflected growing distrust between residents and medical personnel, Isaacs said.
To help families mourn loved ones while maintaining safety protocols, Samaritan’s Purse is partnering with a company to provide body bags with clear plastic windows.
“They can see, confirm and connect with their deceased loved ones,” Isaacs said. “A very important aspect of the entire response is safe, dignified burial, but that comes back to how vital trust is. If they don’t trust the [doctors] that are treating their loved ones, that distrust will run the gamut right through death as well.”
Violence is not the only challenge facing medical workers, Isaacs said. Most shifts inside treatment centers last only 45 minutes because the humid climate and protective medical suits quickly cause overheating.
Despite the harsh conditions, Isaacs praised the courage and compassion of doctors working in “the hot zone,” where Ebola patients are treated.
“They’re totally fearless, and if they have fear, which they do, they don’t show it,” Isaacs said. “So, I came away with great admiration for them.”
(Photo credit: Samaritan’s Purse)
