In Congo displacement camp, fighting Ebola with sand, oatmeal and one thermometer but no water

Key Points:

• In Bunia, eastern Congo, a camp housing 10,000 displaced people has only one handwashing station and one infrared thermometer to combat the ongoing Ebola outbreak, with many residents lacking access to soap and clean water.
• The Ebola outbreak, caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain with no available vaccine or treatment, has resulted in over 1,000 suspected cases and at least 220 deaths, including confirmed cases in Uganda, and is spreading amid fragile healthcare systems and insecurity.
• Years of conflict and displacement in Ituri province have severely weakened health infrastructure, complicating efforts to contain the virus in overcrowded displacement camps where basic hygiene is scarce.
• Armed groups, including the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels and the Ugandan Islamist Allied Democratic Forces linked to ISIS, control parts of the region, contributing to instability and hampering healthcare delivery.
• Humanitarian organizations warn that worsening insecurity has driven healthcare workers away, leaving facilities overwhelmed, and residents express fear and frustration over the lack of protection and government response to the epidemic.