Ebola response teams in DRC raise awareness among deaf
In Kisangani, one of the latest health zones in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to be hit by the Ebola epidemic, Ebola response teams hosted a meeting with deaf people on Monday to raise awareness of the signs and risks of Ebola.
Gloris Esaa, a doctor on DRC’s Ebola response team, said people living with disabilities are more vulnerable during the ongoing Ebola outbreak.
“Very often, when they arrive at the hospital, as they are deaf, they have difficulty being understood by the doctor in front of them. In the case of the Ebola virus disease, we can perhaps trivialize the symptoms that they are presenting with, simply because they have been misunderstood,” he said.
Esaa explained Ebola symptoms as Gilbert Kazingufu, of the national network of sign language interpreters, translated for the audience. Kazingufu said there weren’t many organizations looking after deaf people in particular during Ebola.
Bwana Muzuri, a carpenter, explained what he learned during the presentation afterwards.
“The signs (of Ebola) are vomiting, (fever), bleeding. To protect ourselves, we should greet without our hands, like with our shoulders, our feet, even hips, to avoid spread. Wash hands, and don’t forget masks,” he said.
As of Saturday, the country had recorded 7,541 confirmed cases, including 3,639 deaths, according to government figures, while 1,823 people have recovered. The outbreak is concentrated in Ituri province and is known to be the deadliest of all past 17 Ebola outbreaks in the country.
The World Health Organization has said the outbreak remains out of control and is on track to surpass the 2014-2016 West Africa Ebola outbreak, the deadliest on record, which killed more than 11,000 people, primarily in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
