Link to article: https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2020/11/18/the-latest-ebola-outbreak-in-the-drc-is-over/
Analysis: As a global community we are finally able to celebrate the end of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where responders have spent months working tirelessly with their communities to halt the spread of a virus that has now killed more than 2,200.
Red cross volunteers and responders accomplished this feat facing not one but two deadly viruses, with COVID-19 cases first reported in the country in March.
The country came temptingly close to reaching zero Ebola cases back in June. But days before the northeastern provinces of North Kivu and Ituri were declared Ebola-free, a new flare-up broke out in the Equateur province – the country’s eleventh outbreak since 1976.
More than five months later, the disease has finally been brought to a halt. But while we celebrate this important milestone, the Democratic Republic of the Congo cannot afford to be complacent – especially in the shadow of COVID-19 and other threatening diseases such as Cholera.
The successful fight against Ebola in the DRC may teach us valuable information for taking on COVID-19. The fight against Ebola can teach us the value of working as a community, rather than as individuals. Red Cross volunteers who were present in their communities before, during, and after the outbreak trained and engaged their community in both epidemic preparedness and response. Because of this they became vital contributors to finding and stopping outbreaks, saving lives, restoring services, and reducing negative effects. Additionally awareness and preparation made response time to the latest Ebola flareup easier and quicker than ever. This was possible because both communities and staff had training, supplies, procedures, and protocols ready to rapidly respond and reduce humanitarian consequences of the epidemic. Although the DRC recent strides with Ebola are commendable, they aren’t necessarily out of the woods. With three Ebola outbreaks in just as many years and COVID-19 looming, the DRC has had more outbreaks of epidemics than any other country in the world. If the DRC is to truly make a recovery they are going to have to keep making strides.
The Red Cross, a non governmental organization (NGO) is a major contributor to the success of The Democratic Republic of the Congo, a sovereign state. In the realist perspective of power, power is the ability to get another actor to do, or not do, what it would not otherwise have done, or not done, to provide for one’s security. Realists believe that power is associated with the principle of dominance. Although this perspective sounds nefarious it’s still applicable. The Red Cross had dominance over the DRC because the DRC needed their assistance. The Red Cross utilized this need and dominance to force the DRC to follow its plans and procedures to handle the Ebola epidemic.