Healthcare professionals from Malaga have travelled to the Democratic Republic of Congo to help combat outbreaks of Ebola, cholera and measles.
The team, from the Northern Malaga Health District of the Andalucian Health Service (SAS), is working alongside humanitarian organisation Doctors of the World in South Kivu province.
Their mission focuses on 14 health centres in the Miti-Muherca and Katana health zones, where shortages of medical staff and protective equipment are making it difficult to contain infectious diseases.
The Malaga professionals are helping improve screening procedures to identify and isolate suspected Ebola patients before the virus can spread.
They have also trained local healthcare workers in infection prevention and developed a ten-point guide outlining essential safety measures during patient assessments.
The screening process must also account for malaria, which remains a major cause of fever-related deaths in the region.
The mission is also tackling a cholera outbreak in Katana, where Doctors of the World has established 20 water chlorination points to improve access to safe drinking water.
During a visit to the Lugendo health centre, the team discovered that its cholera treatment unit did not have enough water to prepare rehydration solutions for hospitalised patients.
Emergency water supplies had to be delivered, while plans are now underway to install additional storage tanks and collect rainwater.
Meanwhile, South Kivu is also battling a measles epidemic, although weekly infection rates have reportedly been falling following a childhood vaccination campaign.
The Malaga team is coordinating its work with local health authorities, hospitals and other humanitarian organisations to strengthen the region’s response to multiple public health emergencies.
