Via the Facebook page of MSF in DR Congo: Ebola: "WE KNOW WE HAVE TO ACT FAST" (Patient). Bear in mind that the nurse's first name is Patient. Excerpt from the Google translation:
Patient Muhindo Kamavu was one of four MSF nurses who first arrived on the ground to respond to the Ebola outbreak reported by the Ministry of Health on August 1, 2018 in Mangina, North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo.
A veteran of the two Ebola outbreaks this year, Patient has just completed his work in Mangina and is already heading to Butembo, where he will quickly set up a response for the management of positive cases confirmed in this city, which counts around a million inhabitants.
"On August 2, I received a call that the Ebola virus had once again erupted in the Democratic Republic of Congo and that MSF was ready to respond. Since I have experience with Ebola, they asked me if I wanted to go. "Of course," I replied. "I'm available, let's go." Less than 48 hours later, I was on a plane.
Our team of four experienced nurses arrived in Beni on August 4th. That afternoon, we went directly to Mangina, the local health center at the epicenter of the epidemic. We knew we had to act quickly.
When we arrived, we saw that the center was overwhelmed. They were doing their best but the patients were all together in the same ward of the hospital and were not properly isolated. Staff and visitors came in and out as they wanted. Inside, there were garbage cans and medical equipment on the floor. A number of health staff members were sick and the number of patients was increasing daily.
In a normal clinic, it would be bad but during an Ebola outbreak, it's dangerous. Without proper hygiene, health personnel can easily become infected and then pass the virus on to patients who come to the center for other treatments.
It was clear that we could not wait for the Ebola Treatment Center to be finished. The local health center was overwhelmed and people began to die. We went to Beni to prepare equipment and then went back to the Mangina health center.
I would not say we were afraid to go inside but we were a little nervous. The working conditions were dangerous but we saw people dying, so we had to help.
At that time, local staff only used light protective equipment. So the first thing we did was give the staff good protective gear and teach them how to use it, how to get dressed and how to undress.
From there, we immediately established a fixed circuit for staff and patients at the center. Establishing the right processes and the right patient journey is essential when dealing with Ebola. They reduce the risk of cross-contamination and make work safer for everyone.
