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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
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