{"id":11577,"date":"2026-06-02T15:32:21","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T15:32:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=11577"},"modified":"2026-06-02T15:32:21","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T15:32:21","slug":"as-congo-grapples-with-ebola-volunteers-cook-meals-to-support-patients","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=11577","title":{"rendered":"As Congo grapples with Ebola, volunteers cook meals to support patients"},"content":{"rendered":"

By JUSTIN KABUMBA and OPE ADETAYO<\/strong><\/p>\n

BUNIA, Congo (AP) \u2014 For patients in an Ebola outbreak with no approved medicine or vaccine, there is little comfort. But Arlette Basekawike, a volunteer for the U.N. food agency, is doing her best.<\/p>

Read more Hawaii\u2019s Kilauea sets record for lava fountaining episodes in any 1 eruption for the volcano<\/a><\/p>\n

Her hair covered by a pink bonnet, Basekawike prepares porridge, omelets and bread for breakfast in a shed outside the Evangelical Medical Center in Bunia, the heart of the outbreak in eastern Congo. Lunch and dinner might include fresh fish with fufu, made of mashed plantains, finished off by fruit. She feeds both patients and health workers.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven though the patients have this disease, they still feel better when they eat, and the doctors have the energy to treat the sick and give them medication,\u201d Basekawike told The Associated Press as she prepared vegetables and potatoes with goat meat in a large pot. \u201cI\u2019m here for them like a parent, preparing food so they feel comfortable.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her contribution may appear like a simple task, but it has become a critical support for the remote region as it grapples with the rapidly spreading Bundibugyo virus, the rare species of Ebola confirmed in May.<\/p>\n

As of Tuesday, 321 cases and 48 deaths had been confirmed in the Central African nation\u2019s three eastern provinces of Ituri, North and South Kivu, according to the World Health Organization. Neighboring Uganda has had nine cases and one death confirmed, prompting Uganda to close its border with Congo.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Congolese authorities reopened Bunia\u2019s airport on Tuesday for domestic flights, requiring passengers to undergo temperature checks and respect strict sanitary measures.<\/p>\n