An Ebola training facility set up by Doctors Without Borders in Kenya is a chance for health workers to prepare for one of the most complex emergencies they are ever likely to face.
The outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is the fastest growing ever, according to African health officials, and has claimed at least 600 lives since it was declared in mid-May.
It is happening in a region plagued by extreme poverty and multiple armed groups, while misinformation about the disease has led some locals to avoid treatment, ignore safeguards, and even attack health workers.
Health workers make up 112 of the 1,759 confirmed cases in DRC, and 35 have died.
To help prepare for this extremely challenging environment, global charity Doctors Without Borders (known by its French acronym MSF) has set up a training centre on the outskirts of Nairobi.
Equipped with beds, mannequins, a mock laboratory, and protective gear, the simulation centre prepares doctors, nurses, and clinicians for deployments in DRC, or from regional countries at risk from the spreading disease.
“Often, you come from a hospital and a university, you have knowledge and you think you can handle it,” said one of the trainees, Cisse Papa Ndiaga, 43, an MSF community health worker from Senegal, soon to be deployed in DRC.
“But once you’re in PPE (personal protective equipment), it’s a different story,” he said.
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