Mongbwalu, October 5th, 2026 (CPA).- Pharmacy operators in Mongbwalu, Djugu Territory, Ituri Province, northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), have been urged to play a role in the early detection of suspected Ebola cases, particularly by taking people’s temperatures and referring those showing suspicious symptoms to health facilities, their chairman told the press on Monday. “During this Ebola outbreak, every pharmacy operator should have a non-contact infrared thermometer to take the temperature of people who come in with headaches or fever and, in the event of a high temperature, refer them to a health facility,” said Emmanuel Kambale, chairman of pharmacy operators in Mongbwalu.
He also urged pharmacy managers to avoid selling certain medicines without a medical prescription, in accordance with recommendations regularly reiterated during awareness-raising meetings. “There are medicines that cannot be sold without a prescription. Pharmacy operators know this because we remind them of it at each of our various meetings,” he said.
Emmanuel Kambale further stressed the need for pharmacy operators to protect themselves when receiving sick people in order to reduce the risk of exposure to the Ebola virus.
He finally recommended that pharmacists prioritize referring anyone showing suspected signs of the disease to health facilities rather than directly selling them medicines.