KINSHASA, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) government on Thursday launched an emergency initiative to strengthen Ebola surveillance and preparedness along the Congo River, as authorities seek to prevent the country's main river corridor from becoming a route for wider transmission.
Dubbed "Congo River Without Ebola," the initiative aims to prevent the Ebola outbreak from spreading toward major riverside cities, particularly Mbandaka and the capital Kinshasa, while reducing the risk of transmission to neighboring countries, including the Republic of the Congo and the Central African Republic.
The Congo River is one of Central Africa's main economic and transport arteries, used daily by thousands of travelers, traders and transport operators. In the context of an Ebola outbreak, such intense mobility could accelerate the spread of the virus if preventive measures are not urgently strengthened, said the World Health Organization (WHO) regional office for Africa.
Planned measures include stronger surveillance at ports and along river routes, community-based early-warning networks, and expanded isolation and treatment capacity in key hubs including Kisangani, Mbandaka, Kwamouth and Kinshasa. Authorities also plan to deploy mobile floating laboratories and prepare for the possible quarantine of vessels.
The first intensive phase will last three months, focusing on equipping control points, strengthening local capacity and raising awareness in riverside communities. Body Ilonga, secretary-general of the DRC's health ministry, said the priority is to rapidly detect suspected cases and interrupt chains of transmission.
The initiative is being implemented with support from an inter-agency Ebola preparedness and response mechanism involving the WHO, the International Organization for Migration, the United Nations Children's Fund and the World Food Program.
It has received 9 million U.S. dollars in catalytic UN funding mobilized through the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
The DRC declared the current Ebola outbreak on May 15. It has since become the country's largest and deadliest Ebola epidemic on record and the second-largest globally.
