It’s has emerged that shortcomings in epidemiological surveillance contributed to the rapid spread of the Ebola epidemic in Ituri, according to DRC’s National Deputy Iracan Gratien de Saint-Nicolas.
National Deputy Iracan Gratien de Saint-Nicolas made the remarks on Thursday in Bunia during a press conference.
He called for lessons to be learned from surveillance failures and for responsibilities to be established once the epidemic is under control.
Kinshasa government said on Wednesday that it has brought Ebola epidemic under control.
He specifically criticized the functioning of the epidemiological surveillance system at the beginning of the epidemic.
According to this member of Parliament, the rapid increase in the number of cases after the declaration of the epidemic reflects shortcomings in the early detection of the circulation of the virus.
“It must be clearly stated that there is a failure in epidemiological surveillance. The health system is organized in such a way that when there is a suspected case, the information must go up from the health area to the health zone, to the provincial health division and to the ministry. There has been a failure and, for this reason, we must take action,” said Iracan.
Gratien Iracan also points to structural weaknesses in the healthcare system. He believes that hospitals should have permanent isolation areas for suspected or contagious patients, instead of waiting for an epidemic to set up temporary facilities.
The MP believes the virus could have been circulating before the first cases were officially detected.
He suggests the possibility of transmission as early as January or February, while acknowledging that further research is needed to precisely determine the timeline of the epidemic.
Data released on Thursday reported more than 6,800 confirmed cases in the DRC and more than 3,300 deaths, with Ituri remaining the hardest-hit province with over 5,400 cases.
