A frontline nurse fighting the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has told this bureau that the international response is failing. The nurse, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals, said supplies are running low and morale is shattered. 'We are drowning.
The world is not paying attention. This is not under control. It is a catastrophe unfolding in real time,' she said in a hushed phone call.
Documents obtained by this paper show that the World Health Organisation has struggled to coordinate with local authorities. A leaked internal memo warns of 'critical funding gaps' and 'logistical failures.' The nurse confirmed that protective equipment is being reused.
'We are asked to sterilise gloves because there aren't enough. It is insane. One mistake and we are dead.
' The outbreak, declared in August, has already killed hundreds. But the real number, sources say, could be much higher. 'There are villages where people are dying uncounted.
The government does not want to admit the scale,' the nurse said. The WHO insists it is doing all it can. But a former official in the region disagrees.
'This is a pattern. You throw money at the problem, make a few headlines, and then turn away. Meanwhile, nurses like her are left to die.
' The nurse's final words before the line went dead were chilling: 'I have already written my will. I am ready to die. But I want to know that someone out there is listening.
That someone cares.
