Prevention and control measures against Ebola are multiplying in medical centers in Goma, in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, as the country struggles to combat the outbreak.
Already facing humanitarian and security crises, this large eastern metropolis now faces a new Ebola outbreak, whose response is proving complicated due to a lack of resources.
At the Bondeko medical center, located in the Ndosho district in the commune of Karisimbi, measures such as handwashing and temperature checks have become mandatory at the entrance.
This facility is among those selected by the non-governmental organization called "COPAD Grands-Lacs", which was founded in Goma in 2009.
Respecting the indicated measures is vital in the fight against Ebola, but gathering all the necessary resources remains a challenge, a COPAD worker said.
"The major difficulty we face is the lack of resources (the means are very limited), and here at COPAD, we use our own resources. We try to do what is possible. We are distributing handwashing kits and raising awareness so that our communities can take care of themselves," said Bamusenge Jean de Dieu, who is in charge of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) at COPAD Grands-Lacs.
The DRC is currently facing its 17th Ebola virus epidemic, a scourge that has emerged amid enormous security tensions in the eastern part of the country.
DR Congo strengthens measures to prevent Ebola in Goma
Space-bred cranberry seedlings, carried into space aboard multiple missions and nurtured through two years of greenhouse breeding and acclimatization, have begun field transplantation at a plantation in northeast China.
The seedlings were carried into space aboard China's Shenzhou-14, Shenzhou-16 and Shijian-19 missions. After returning to Earth, they underwent a rigorous two-year period of greenhouse breeding and acclimatization before being transferred to open fields for large-scale management and monitoring. Now, they are being planted in fields in Fuyuan, Heilongjiang Province.
Cheng Zhengxin, a technical engineer at the plantation, explained the meticulous transplantation procedures needed to safeguard the delicate seedlings' superior traits and maximize their survival rates in the open fields.
"Now is the ideal season for transplantation. We are moving the space-bred cranberry seedlings from greenhouses into open fields for large-scale management. During the process, we must keep the original roots and soil intact without damaging the root systems or branches. After transplantation, timely watering is needed to keep the soil moist but without water accumulation," she said.
Regarding the future direction of the breeding program, the plantation's general manager Li Feng explained the vision for domestic cultivation.
"The seedlings we are working with come from our space breeding program and radiation simulation experiments conducted with the Harbin Institute of Technology. In the future, we will continue field observation and variety comparison experiments to cultivate cranberry varieties suitable for growing in China and help fill the gap in domestic cranberry germplasm resources," he said.
Cranberries used to be sourced mainly from North America, but Fuyuan City has made breakthroughs since 2014 in the production of cranberries via cooperation among the government, companies, research institutions and colleges. Once deserted experimental fields in the city have been transformed into the biggest planting base for cranberries in China. Recent years saw Fuyuan further extending the industrial chain of cranberries to enrich the product line ranging from juice and ice cream to beer and cosmetics, which now serves as a major cash cow to the local economy.
Space-bred cranberry seedlings transplanted into fields in northeast China
