Mobile Gold Miners Complicate DRC Ebola Response

Mobile artisanal gold miners in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo are complicating efforts by health workers to trace Ebola contacts and contain the deadliest outbreak of the disease in the country.

The outbreak, concentrated in Ituri province, has infected nearly 5,000 people and killed 2,325, according to health authorities. Ituri accounts for almost 90% of the reported cases.

Hundreds of miners, including children, work at gold sites such as Iga-Barrière, moving frequently between mining areas, villages, and population centres in search of work.

Health officials say the constant movement makes it difficult to identify and monitor people who may have been exposed to the virus. Two miners identified as Ebola contacts recently moved to another mining site and could not be traced.

Artisanal mining sites also present additional challenges because many operate illegally and workers often avoid authorities. Crowded conditions and limited access to clean water make preventive measures such as handwashing and social distancing difficult to maintain.

Ebola spreads through contact with bodily fluids from infected people or contaminated objects and surfaces. Health workers warn that miners can unknowingly carry the virus between communities, creating new chains of transmission that are difficult to detect.

The response is further complicated by the Bundibugyo virus, a less common Ebola species for which there are no approved vaccines or specific treatments.

About two million people work in artisanal and small-scale mining across DR Congo, according to a 2024 OECD report, highlighting the scale of the challenge facing disease surveillance teams.

SOURCE: AP