Oxfam responds to the new Ebola Outbreak in Beni, North Kivu, DRC

Last night the Ministry of Health in the Democratic Republic of Congo announced four new confirmed cases of Ebola in Mangina area, in the territory of Beni, province of North Kivu. This comes only nine days after a similar outbreak in Equateur province in the western part of the country was officially declared over.

Oxfam is launching a response to this new outbreak, having strengthened its experience in tackling the previous outbreak. We will be working with communities, local partners and other agencies in the area, providing clean water, sanitation structures and information about ways to prevent the virus from spreading further.

Jose Barahona, Oxfam Country Director for the DRC, said: "This outbreak comes at a time when the country is already unstable, with millions of people caught up in humanitarian crises as a result of ongoing conflicts. People are hungry and at risk of disease and many have had to flee their homes. Beni has been deeply unstable for the past few years due to armed conflict and Ebola poses a serious risk to communities already on the edge and threatens our ability to help them."

In Beni, Oxfam’s ongoing work is reaching thousands of displaced people and host communities with food, clean safe water and sanitation facilities.