DAR ES SALAAM, TANZANIA — Tanzania has sent a convoy of vital medical items to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in support of its campaign against an Ebola virus outbreak.
Images taken in Dar es Salaam show Medical Stores Department employees packing boxes before the official handover event, where Health Minister Mohamed Omary Mchengerwa handed over an item to DRC Ambassador Serge Tshibambe.
The consignment, worth $88,000, contains about 72,000 infusions, 500,000 pairs of gloves, 8,000 protective masks, and 2,000 bottles of sanitiser.
Minister Mchengerwa stated in his speech that “We will always stand together with the government and people of the Democratic Republic of Congo in their effort against this epidemic under these conditions of insecurity, dislocation and tremendous pressure to operate. Any border does not bind the virus, and neither are we.”
Raji Tajudeen, Interim Deputy Director-General of Africa CDC, praised the gesture in line with other gestures of goodwill from Egypt, South Africa, Congo-Brazzaville, Equatorial Guinea, and Côte d’Ivoire.
The DRC declared the outbreak on 15 May, and international and continental emergencies followed soon after. As of mid-August, there have been more than 5,021 confirmed cases and 2,378 deaths from the disease in the DRC. The neighbouring country, Uganda, announced the end of its own outbreak in late July.
Tanzania’s contribution highlights an emerging pan-African strategy intended to pool healthcare resources to fight infectious diseases across borders.
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