Edgar Mateso, first vice-president of the North Kivu company. Ph Martial Papy Mukeba.
Radio Okapi”/>
The first vice-president of civil society in North Kivu, Edgard Mateso, calls on the population of the Beni region to capitalize on their experiences acquired during the two previous Ebola epidemics, in order to limit the chain of contamination as much as possible to the only first case of the new epidemic, declared in this city since last August 21.
“While respecting the barrier measures against the Ebola virus disease, we protect ourselves directly against COVID-19 as well. The population has a duty to respect the barrier measures. For those who still want to fuel rumors to generate resistance, for now we must line up behind our nurses, our doctors, and our government to stop this spread, instead of continuing to doubt, hesitate and fuel rumors. We lose nothing by respecting the barrier measures than exposing ourselves and exposing an entire community, ”recalled the first vice-president of civil society in North Kivu.
Edgard Mateso also calls on the Congolese government and its partners to provide the response teams with the necessary means and materials.
“We are asking the government to facilitate the work of the teams already engaged in the field. It is the government that must provide the necessary means, adequate materials, inputs…” he continued.
About one hundred and eighty contact cases of patient zero have been identified and their situation is being monitored by the response teams, which have already started with the vaccination process.