Red Cross seeks to mediate return of Ebola experts to affected region of Gabon
10 January 2002

The Gabonese Red Cross, supported by medics from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, is seeking to restore access to an Ebola-affected part of Gabon for international experts who have been working with the local authorities to stem an epidemic which has so far claimed 18 lives in Gabon and seven more in the neighbouring Republic of the Congo.

An international team working under the aegis of WHO was forced to re-locate from Mekambo in north Gabon, further inland to Makokou because of hostility from the local population. According to Red Cross officials on the ground, the crux of the problem is the effort being made to ban traditional practices around the burial of the dead which risk spreading the ebola virus. These practices include ritual washing of the bodies.

The Ebola haemorrhagic fever virus broke out in north Gabon and neighbouring Congo last month and to date 34 confirmed cases have been reported with an additional 16 suspected cases and overall, 247 contacts with the virus have been identified, mainly in the Mekambo area of Gabon.

Some 100 specially trained Red Cross volunteers have been active in tracing people infected and raising awareness of the deadly nature of the virus in the affected communities. A similar problem arose in another area in December, and the Red Cross volunteers who are recruited from the affected communities, were able to mediate and persuade villagers to remove road blocks preventing the international medical team from entering their village.

"The Red Cross volunteers who are very well-accepted by the communities are helping to restore contact between the villagers and the local and international health personnel. They can explain well the actions required to ensure the epidemic is contained and can also identify any new cases. It is vital for the containment of the epidemic that the international team returns and we are confident that will happen soon," said International Federation Ebola expert, Dr. Razak Akadiri, based in Gabon.

For further information, or to set up interviews, please contact:

Denis McClean, Head, Media Service Tel.: +41 22 730 4428/ + 41 79 217 3357

Andre Neacsu, Information Officer Tel.: + 41 22 730 4296/ +41 79 217 3374

The Geneva-based International Federation promotes the humanitarian activities of 181 National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies among vulnerable people. By coordinating international disaster relief and encouraging development support, it seeks to prevent and alleviate human suffering. The Federation, National Societies and the International Committee of the Red Cross together, constitute the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.