1Global Health Focus Africa, Bukavu, The Democratic Republic of Congo.
2Department of Gaenecology, University of Goma, Goma, The Democratic Republic of Congo.
Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2020 Dec;103(6):2168-2170. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.20-1169. Epub 2020 Oct 9.
COVID-19 is a highly contagious disease that has affected all African countries including the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Formidable challenges limit precautionary measures which were instituted by the government to curb the pandemic. Insufficient COVID-19 testing laboratories, limited medical and personal protective equipment, and an inadequate number of health workers leave the country ill-equipped in the fight against the pandemic. Lack of assistance from the government to those who lost their jobs due to lockdown forced these individuals to go outside to find provisions, thus increasing the spread of the virus. Moreover, the fragile healthcare system is overburdened by civil conflicts and other epidemics and endemics amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The conflicts have led to thousands of deaths and hundreds of thousands of displacements and deprived many people of basic health services. The 11th outbreak of Ebola has been increasing at an alarming pace, and it is expected to soar because of a shortfall of funds and insufficient numbers of health workers. The DRC with the cooperation of regional powers needs to address these challenges in a manner similar to that used in the previous Ebola epidemics. Moreover, the government should have a balance in shifting the available resources between COVID-19 and other diseases. Until a vaccine is available, the DRC needs to be prudent when lifting restrictions to prevent explosion of new cases.
COVID-19 是一种高度传染性疾病，已影响到包括刚果民主共和国（DRC）在内的所有非洲国家。政府为遏制这一大流行病而采取的预防措施受到了严峻挑战的限制。COVID-19 检测实验室不足、医疗和个人防护设备有限、卫生工作者人数不足，使该国在抗击这一大流行病方面装备不足。由于封锁而失业的人得不到政府的援助，这些人被迫外出寻找物资，从而导致病毒传播加剧。此外，脆弱的医疗保健系统在 COVID-19 大流行期间还承受着内战和其他传染病和地方病的负担。冲突导致数千人死亡，数十万人流离失所，使许多人无法获得基本的医疗服务。第 11 次埃博拉疫情呈惊人速度上升，由于资金短缺和卫生工作者人数不足，预计疫情将进一步恶化。刚果民主共和国需要与地区大国合作，以类似于前几次埃博拉疫情的方式应对这些挑战。此外，政府应在 COVID-19 和其他疾病之间分配现有资源方面保持平衡。在疫苗问世之前，刚果民主共和国需要谨慎地放宽限制，以防止新病例的爆发。
