In reaction to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) reaching 3,000 cases and nearly 2,000 deaths, Oxfam’s Country Director in the DRC, Corinne N’Daw, said:

“This is yet another grim milestone for the Ebola outbreak in DRC and no end seems to be in sight.

“Worryingly the Ebola screening process, which relies on using a thermometer to spot any potential cases, doesn’t seem to be working. Several of the most recent confirmed cases are reported to have passed through a number of screening check points unnoticed. It's crucial that local health workers on the frontline get much better training and equipment.

“It’s also a huge concern that we’ve seen cases appearing in two new areas over the last few weeks. As a result the response is being spread too thin, chasing new cases at the expense of the longer-term community engagement that is crucial if we’re ever to hope of being Ebola free.

“Preventative work takes time and resources but we know from our experience it works. Given the trends we’re seeing in how the virus is spreading, we should not be waiting for places to become an Ebola hotspot before engaging with communities."