Doctors working on the front lines of the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo say attacks on treatment centres and fleeing patients are hampering efforts to contain the virus.
Medical teams, already dealing with shortages of basic supplies, are now facing repeated security incidents at health facilities as the virus spreads rapidly.
At least three such attacks have been reported in Ituri province, where the first Ebola cases emerged, including two over the weekend targeting the same hospital. More than two dozen patients are reported to have fled during the incidents.
The attacks echo violence seen during the 2018–2020 Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo, when more than 25 health workers were killed.
Some earlier incidents were carried out by civilians angered by restrictions on burial practices or who believed the outbreak was a hoax. Local suspicions were also fuelled by a sudden influx of aid and international attention in regions long affected by conflict and neglect.
A similar situation now appears to be unfolding, according to Dr Richard Lokodu, medical director of Mongbwalu General Referral Hospital, which was attacked on both Saturday and Sunday.
“There is denial of the disease within the population, with some members wanting to claim the bodies of suspected and/or confirmed cases,” he said.
The World Health Organization has classified the outbreak of the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola as a public health emergency of international concern, the third-largest outbreak of its kind on record.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said there had been more than 900 suspected cases, including 101 confirmed infections.
He added on Monday that 220 suspected deaths had been recorded and warned that delays in detecting cases meant responders were now “playing catch-up.”
At Mongbwalu General Referral Hospital, 18 Ebola patients fled on Saturday after “unidentified individuals” set fire to isolation tents set up by the medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières.
Four of those patients have since been tested, with three returning negative results and one confirmed as having Ebola.
“So we have one confirmed case of Ebola that continues to circulate in the community and evade the response,” Dr Lokodu said.
On Sunday, the hospital came under four waves of attacks by young people mobilised by relatives of a Christian religious leader who had died from Ebola.
Seven more patients escaped, while police and soldiers were deployed to restore order.
A critically ill patient suffering from haemorrhaging died while attempting to flee during the second attack, Dr Lokodu said.
Those behind the attacks were seeking to retrieve the bodies of Ebola victims for burial, according to Dr Lokodu.
Health officials warn that the bodies of Ebola victims remain highly infectious after death. Unsafe burial practices - where family members handle bodies without protective equipment - are a key driver of transmission.
Health workers faced attacks during previous outbreaks, including in West Africa between 2013 and 2016, when some accused them of spreading the virus.
However, violence escalated significantly during the 2018–2020 outbreak in eastern Congo, a region marked by insecurity and deep mistrust of authorities.
In addition to spontaneous attacks by local communities, some incidents were carried out by militia groups seeking political or financial gain.
The current outbreak is believed to have begun in Ituri before spreading to North and South Kivu provinces, including areas controlled by Rwanda-backed M23 rebels, and into neighbouring Uganda.
Uganda reported two new confirmed cases on Monday, bringing its total to seven.
U.S. and Iranian officials said they had agreed on a framework to end their war, halt the U.S. blockade of Iran and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a pre...
Monday 15th June, marks the fifth anniversary of the signing of the Shusha Declaration, a landmark agreement that formally elevated relations between ...
The stepson of Norway's Crown Prince Haakon has been found guilty of two counts of rape as well as domestic violence and other crimes and is sentenced...
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for 15 June, covering the latest developments you need to know....
Leaders of the Group of Seven wealthy nations will meet at a French lakeside resort on Monday against a backdrop of preliminary deal to end U.S. and I...
Monday 15th June, marks the fifth anniversary of the signing of the Shusha Declaration, a landmark agreement that formally elevated relations between Azerbaijan and Türkiye to the level of an alliance and further strengthened the long-standing ties between the two nations.
Türkiye and Saudi Arabia are aiming to establish a railway connection linking the two countries through Syria and Jordan within the next three to four years, according to Turkish Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu.
As football supporters around the world follow the 2026 FIFA World Cup, a group of young women in Gaza are fighting a very different battle - rebuilding their lives through the sport they love after losing limbs during the war.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday, 14 June about efforts to end Russia's war in Ukraine, as world leaders prepare to gather for the G7 summit in France.
Details of a reported draft memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran offer the clearest picture yet of how both sides plan to end months of conflict and move towards a longer-term settlement.
Pakistan has warned that any attempt by India to block or significantly reduce river flows under the Indus Waters Treaty could have “far-reaching consequences”, after India's water minister said New Delhi was working to ensure that “not a single drop” of water reaches Pakistan in the coming years.
Armenia has every right to choose Europe. But Europe’s support for Armenia’s direction should not become automatic approval of its political process.
The U.S. and Iran say they have reached a deal to end their conflict, with an immediate ceasefire and reopening of the Strait of Hormuz after the lifting of the U.S. naval blockade. Talks will continue over the next 60 days to finalise the agreement
U.S. President Donald Trump has said a peace agreement with Iran is scheduled to be signed on Sunday in a post on social media, despite Tehran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei saying no deal would be approved this weekend.
The stepson of Norway's Crown Prince Haakon has been found guilty of two counts of rape as well as domestic violence and other crimes and is sentenced to four years in prison, an Oslo court ruled on Monday.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for 15 June, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Leaders of the Group of Seven wealthy nations will meet at a French lakeside resort on Monday against a backdrop of preliminary deal to end U.S. and Iran war reached by both sides.
Four people were killed while the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra monastery, a symbol of Ukrainian spiritual and cultural history, caught fire, in the heaviest Russian air attack on the Ukrainian capital in two weeks, authorities said on Monday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday, 14 June about efforts to end Russia's war in Ukraine, as world leaders prepare to gather for the G7 summit in France.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment