Emergency Response to the Ebola Outbreak in DRC

With 3,348 confirmed and suspected cases of Ebola and 2,210 deaths as of December 16, 2019, the Ebola outbreak in the DRC continues unabated.

In September 2019, International Medical Corps admitted a 17-year-old pregnant woman from Biakato to its Ebola Treatment Center in Mangina. The woman was vomiting and had abdominal pains, headache, fatigue, cough and vertigo. Later that day, the woman tested positive for the Ebola virus. She passed away a few days later.

But from her death came new life. On September 29 and at an estimated 34 weeks’ gestation, a girl was born via emergency C-section at a nearby facility as her mother was dying, weighing only 4.4 pounds. The little girl required intensive care and continuous treatment for the first 24 hours of her life.

Everyone at the Ebola Treatment Center waited to see if she would survive these critical moments and wondered whether she would have Ebola. The Ebola virus has long been known to be passed through bodily fluids for long after a patient has recovered, but more research is needed to know the probability of passing the infection from a mother to her newborn child.

Happily, the little girl made it through the first few days without advanced breathing assistance and was soon declared “Ebola-free” by the team of International Medical Corps’ doctors. Fitting the challenging circumstances of her birth, the little girl was named Victorine — meaning “Victory” in English.

Victorine was discharged from intensive care at the nearby facility, and was placed in the Mangina Ebola Treatment Center's nursery to be monitored over the next month. The nursery at the Ebola Treatment Center provides a child-friendly space for the children of people diagnosed with Ebola, with an isolated section for children who have the disease themselves. The intent of the nursery is to mitigate the long-term psychological impact of the disease while providing appropriate developmental and play activities.

Victorine is currently thriving and will remain in the care of the Congolese nuns who help run the nursery until she is strong enough to return to her family.

In addition to Victorine and the Mangina Ebola Treatment Center, International Medical Corps supports 74 facilities that screen for Ebola and refer patients to more advanced care in Ebola Treatment Centers as needed. As of October 31, 2019, International Medical Corps’ supported facilities had screened more than 1.09 million people for Ebola.

International Medical Corps sincerely thanks all of you in the GlobalGiving community for your continued support of our efforts to also be victorious over the Ebola virus.