Kenya trains healthcare workers to tackle Ebola in DRC
Health workers in Kenya are being trained to tackle the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), according to Africa News via AP on July 12th.
According to health authorities, this wave of Ebola in the DRC has killed at least 600 people and is the fastest-growing outbreak ever.
Out of the 1,759 confirmed Ebola cases in the country, 112 are health workers, 35 of whom have been killed by the disease.
In May, concerns about Ebola led Uganda to tighten border control by introducing screening measures and health checkups near the DRC border.
The Ebola training centre was set up near Nairobi by the charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF). At the centre, health officials are trained to work in the DRC and other regional countries at risk from the Ebola outbreak.
It officially started training in June 2026 and is expected to last at least until August. Currently, the majority of staff trained are those already with MSF, although staff from other NGOs and the Kenyan Ministry of Health will also be trained.
It includes beds, mannequins, protective gear and a mock laboratory to simulate and train health officials on the conditions they will face in the DRC.
As locals are often sceptical about receiving treatment from international health workers, the centre trains doctors, nurses and clinicians on how to engage with the local community and properly conduct safe funerals.
Another vital area of training is to reduce the stigmatisation and fear that those who survive and recover from the virus face.
Diana Corben, a doctor participating in MSF’s mission in the Central African Republic (CAR), said “one of the key things is to be able to get the communities to engage, to understand. But also to make sure that we have empathy and we… take the time to sensitise them.
Cisse Papa Ndiaga, a community health worker training at the centre, says, “Often, you come from a hospital and a university, you have knowledge, and you think you can handle it,” however “once you’re in PPE (personal protective equipment), it’s a different story”.
The DRC’s health crisis is not limited to Ebola; throughout 2025, a cholera outbreak killed at least 1,7000 people.
Africa News via AP, Maghrebi.org
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