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WORLD NEWS Monday 18 June 2018

Congo's Ebola outbreak poses challenges for bush meat

By SAM MEDNICK the Central African coun-
Associated Press try's ninth outbreak.
MBANDAKA, Congo (AP) One Mbandaka trader,
— For 25 years, Patrick Ma- Gamo Louambo, said he's
tondo has earned a living still shipping 100 wild ani-
buying and selling mon- mals to Kinshasa daily and
keys, bats and other ani- said he won't stop eating
mals popularly known as them as they're his main
bush meat along the Con- source of food. "I don't see
go River. Standing on the Ebola. It isn't here," he said.
riverbank in Mbandaka, a In West Africa, where there
city affected by the deadly had never been an out-
new outbreak of the Ebola break before 2014, getting
virus, the father of five said people to accept that Eb-
that for the first time he's ola was a real disease was
worried he won't be able key, said WHO's Jonathan
to support his family. Polonsky.
"Since Ebola was declared, For those in Kinshasa, "Ebo-
business has decreased by la is very far away," said De-
almost half. It's really, really fede Mbale, immigration
bad," the 47-year-old said, chief at the capital's port of
hanging his head. Maluku.
Congo's latest Ebola out- Pointing to a poster of
break declared in May has In this photo taken Tuesday, May 29, 2018, a street trader sells dried fish and smoked monkey safe Ebola practices on his
38 confirmed cases, includ- meat at the port of Maluku in Kinshasa, Congo. desk, he said the govern-
ing 14 deaths. The discovery Associated Press ment has provided extra
of a handful of Ebola cases resources to patrol the river
among Mbandaka's more up blackened chunks one keys and bats are sold live anyone infected by the vi- and take people's tem-
than 1 million residents also by one for a closer look. throughout the region. rus, offering an experimen- peratures as they arrive by
has hurt the economy, es- "Meat is very important for Traders said demand has tal vaccine and promot- boats, checking for fevers.
pecially among traders of people here. It's one of the dwindled because of Eb- ing safe burials and other He doesn't doubt the dead-
meat from wild animals. biggest industries in Mban- ola, with sales for many practices. Such health ef- ly virus exists, but Mbale
The virus, which spreads daka," said Matondo, a dropping from about 100 forts can be challenging in said there's only so much
through bodily fluids of leader in the city's bush animals a day to about 20. communities where many that he's willing to change.
those infected, has been meat association. "Kinshasa and Brazzaville people consider Ebola to "We have our customs and
known to jump from ani- Dr. Pierre Rollin, an Ebola told us to stop sending be witchcraft. Others are they won't change be-
mals such as monkeys and expert with the U.S. Cen- monkeys and bats," said skeptical that the disease cause of Ebola," he said.
bats to humans. In the ters for Disease Control and another trader in Mbanda- exists, even though this is "We'll eat all foods."q
West Africa outbreak four Prevention, said if the meat ka, Willy Taban, who said
years ago that killed more is cooked, smoked or dried his business has been cut
than 11,000 people, it was it kills the virus. The people in half in recent weeks. He
widely suspected that the at greatest risk are hunters was referring to buyers in
epidemic began when a and butchers who process the capital of the nearby
2-year-old boy in Guinea the meat, he said. Republic of Congo, which
was infected by a bat. The World Health Organi- is across the river from Kin-
Usually the wild animals are zation has advised against shasa.
highly sought-after as popu- trade and travel restrictions Congo's health minister, Dr.
lar sources of protein along because of the current out- Oly Ilunga Kalenga, said
with beef and pork, and break, which is mostly in re- there are no plans to ban
cargo ships carrying the mote areas. sales of bush meat in the
smoked meat arrive daily Boats with bush meat con- province since bush meat is
in the city, the trade hub tinue to depart for the not the primary way the Eb-
for Congo's northwestern capital, Kinshasa, 600 kilo- ola virus spreads. Instead,
Equateur province. Mean- meters (323 miles) down- the government is focusing
while, bush meat markets stream and for villages on good hygiene practices
still see locals bartering for tucked deep in the rainfor- such as hand-washing, he
the animals, both dead est up and down the river. said.
and alive. Prospective buy- Disease experts warned, Health officials are also
ers pause at tables piled however, that precautions tracking down anyone who
with monkey meat, picking are still necessary as mon- had close contact with