Amy Maxmen
@amymaxmen
I went to DR Congo to see what it means to battle one of the most deadly viruses in cities tortured by war. Would love if you read my piece on how the region &
#Ebola responders w/the
@WHO are faring, out today in
@NatureNews
(Thread)
This story began when
@DrTedros asked me to go to
#DRC—I suspect because the
#Ebola outbreak has gotten little attention even tho 2050 people are dead so far& its spreading. But neglect is the norm for how the world views east DRC (except for when it comes to taking what we want)
While I was there, 160 people were killed & 300000 displaced. Did you read this in the news? Probably not.
@DamelSoceFall told me, “The people here don’t believe that anyone cares for them, even their own government, so it’s very hard to convince them that we are here to help.
https://twitter.com/amymaxmen
My story focuses on
@WHO bc they have 700 staff in the hotzone, more than other intern'l groups. And they need to prove themselves after dropping the ball in West Africa’s
#Ebola crisis. But its a hard situation & they’re short on cash. Only enough $ to last thru Sept,
@WHO says.
But the pit in my gut after writing are memories of Congolese whose lives are torn apart by violence & poverty. I asked
@Chikwe_I about the
#Ebola responders &he said “In some ways, they are paying for all of us ignoring the situation in this part of the continent for many years”
================
Longread at link:
Exclusive: Behind the front lines of the Ebola wars
The WHO has more Ebola responders on the ground than any other international organization because ongoing violence keeps many others at bay. The responders have faced death threats and stones, bullets and grenades.
BBM
