Impact of Nyiragongo volcanic eruptions on the resilience to the COVID-19 and Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Manirambona, E., Uwiringiyimana, E., Musa, S. S., Niyonkuru, S., Gyeltshen, D., Adebisi, Y. A. and Lucero-Prisno III, D. E. (2022) Impact of Nyiragongo volcanic eruptions on the resilience to the COVID-19 and Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Annals of Public Health, 2022, 592. (doi: 10.55085/aph.2022.592)

Abstract

For decades, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has been vulnerable to disasters. The most dangerous Nyiragongo volcanic eruption posed a threat to the country, particularly the city of Goma. The explosions on 22 May 2021 caused unfathomable damages, with loss of lives, properties, and the destruction of homes, displacing thousands of people, with thousands of children being left vulnerable as a result. Furthermore, it charred health and school infrastructures and decimated crops, an issue in the population where the COVID-19 has exacerbated the existing fragile health system. Importantly, these eruptions posed a challenge when DRC struggled to end COVID-19 and Ebola through surveillance, preventive measures, and vaccination. It is doubtless that priorities of the emergency have interrupted the surveillance system, thus increasing exposure to the COVID-19 and Ebola transmission. It is critical to provide basic needs to victims of the Nyiragongo volcanic eruptions in the aftermath of such a disaster. Local and global humanitarian organizations are needed to assist residents in relocating. Furthermore, appropriate and adjusted mitigation strategies will significantly prevent Ebola, COVID-19, and other infectious diseases. In this paper, we discuss the impacts of the volcanic eruption on population health and Ebola preparedness and response in the context of the global COVID-19 outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Adebisi, Yusuff Adebayo
• Authors: Manirambona, E., Uwiringiyimana, E., Musa, S. S., Niyonkuru, S., Gyeltshen, D., Adebisi, Y. A., and Lucero-Prisno III, D. E.
• College/School: College of Social Sciences
• Journal Name: Annals of Public Health
• Publisher: Miditerranean Journals
• ISSN: 2831-6193
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2022 Manirambona E. et al.
• First Published: First published in Annals of Public Health 2022:592
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons license