Humanitarian workers responding to the Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo were evacuated due to violence at an Ebola treatment center. The unrest followed the death of a pregnant woman at Nyakunde General Hospital, which also serves as an Ebola treatment facility in Ituri province.
Local sources reported that community members, upset over the woman’s death, attacked the treatment center, leading to gunfire exchanges. Due to the escalating security situation, a humanitarian convoy was evacuated. Reports indicated casualties, though specific details were unclear.
In addition, it was mentioned that some Ebola patients undergoing treatment at the center might have fled. The Ebola response efforts have faced challenges such as insecurity, assaults on healthcare workers and facilities, community distrust, patients leaving treatment prematurely, and protests by responders over unpaid allowances.
The outbreak has affected over 2,000 individuals in the DRC, with the World Health Organization (WHO) cautioning that the actual scale of the outbreak could be significantly higher than reported. The WHO also highlighted concerns about undetected transmission, community deaths, and rapid geographical spread hindering response efforts.
Chikwe Ihekweazu, WHO Health Emergencies Programme executive director, expressed that the current Bundibugyo Ebola virus outbreak was expanding at an unprecedented rate. Declared in mid-May, the outbreak has spread across five provinces, making it the third-largest Ebola outbreak on record.
