Santa Barbara–based nonprofit Direct Relief is sending $2.5 million worth of medical aid to the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where a deadly Ebola outbreak continues to spread.
The outbreak is caused by a rare species of Ebola, the Bundibugyo virus, with a fatality rate of 30-50 percent. Ebola kills by disabling the immune system, leading to massive fluid loss lasting from two to 21 days. Health care workers treat the patients with dehydration and respiratory and digestive complications, but there is no vaccine for the virus.
Staff in Santa Barbara’s medical warehouse for Direct Relief completed packing the shipment of supplies, which includes personal protective equipment, antibiotics, medications, and safety equipment. The supplies are being sent to a wellness clinic in Goma, where healthcare workers are at high risk of being infected due to the virus spreading through bodily fluids. In 2014, the deadliest Ebola epidemic broke out, and $40 million in medical aid was sent by Direct Relief, which accepts no government funding.
