Inside Ebola country: NPR reports from eastern DR Congo's outbreak zone
Eliezer Kasongo, president of REMEDE Bunia, raises awareness among residents about Ebola prevention measures during a community outreach event on Ebola Awareness Day in Bunia, Ituri Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Arseฬne Mpiana Monkwe for NPR hide caption BUNIA, Dem
Eliezer Kasongo, president of REMEDE Bunia, raises awareness among residents about Ebola prevention measures during a community outreach event on Ebola Awareness Day in Bunia, Ituri Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Arseฬne Mpiana Monkwe for NPR hide caption
BUNIA, Democratic Republic of Congo โ Eliezer Kasongo thought the Ebola epidemic would blow over in a few weeks.
"We started to see people die in the neighbourhood and we began to understand," said Kasongo, a community volunteer in Bunia, the capital of Ituri province, in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
Despite once being a doubter, the 25-year-old now spends his days going door to door to try to raise awareness about the disease.
Ituri is the epicenter of Congo's Ebola outbreak, which the government declared officially on May 15. The virus had likely been circulating for weeks before then, with cases clustered in a remote mining town called Mongbwalu .
Official figures show there are now 782 confirmed Ebola cases in eastern Congo as of June 13, and 181 confirmed deaths. Those numbers are an underestimate, according to health and aid officials, who point to testing delays as well as unnoticed deaths in villages and far-flung suburbs.
One month on from the outbreak's announcement, signs of the Ebola response are everywhere in Bunia. Handwashing stations are ubiquitous and the central square blares announcements telling the people of Ituri not to panic.
A city of over 1 million people, Bunia now has the single largest number of cases โ 212 โ according to the official figures. Many residents are receptive to advice, according to Kasongo, but he and other volunteers sometimes meet resistance.
