The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is spiralling out of control, with the World Health Organization (WHO) warning that response efforts are failing to keep pace with the rapidly spreading disease. Amidst rising tensions and violent confrontations between health workers and local communities, the situation appears increasingly dire, prompting urgent calls for action from neighbouring nations.
Dire Situation in Ituri Province
This weekend, health workers in Bunia, Ituri province, prepared to transport the remains of an Ebola victim for safe burial as the region grapples with a deteriorating epidemic. Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the WHO, highlighted the alarming scale of the crisis during an address to the African Union, revealing that there have been 220 suspected deaths linked to the outbreak thus far.
Dr. Tedros is set to visit the DRC on Tuesday, accompanied by Chikwe Ihekweazu, head of WHO’s health emergencies programme. His statement underscored the urgency of the situation: “We are urgently scaling up operations, but at the moment the epidemic is outpacing us.”
Violence Erupts as Fear Grows
The WHO’s efforts to combat the outbreak have been severely hindered by violent incidents targeting health facilities in Ituri. In Mongbwalu, a town at the heart of the outbreak, local residents launched attacks on the Mongbwalu general referral hospital. Dr. Richard Lokodu, the facility’s medical director, reported that on both Saturday and Sunday, groups of young people—mobilised by relatives of an Ebola victim—assaulted the hospital, resulting in the escape of 25 patients.
The situation escalated to the point where one critically ill patient perished while attempting to flee during the chaos. The attackers demanded the release of Ebola victims’ bodies for traditional burial, a practice that poses a significant risk of spreading the virus.
In a separate incident, a treatment centre in nearby Rwampara was set ablaze after authorities refused to relinquish the body of a deceased victim. Traditional burial customs, which often involve washing and handling the body, have historically been linked to the rapid transmission of the virus.
Regional Impact and Growing Cases
The outbreak, attributed to the rare Bundibugyo ebolavirus, has raised alarms beyond the DRC’s borders. Earlier this month, the WHO declared the situation a “public health emergency of international concern” following the documentation of over 300 suspected cases and 88 deaths in the DRC, along with two fatalities in neighbouring Uganda. Uganda has since reported two additional cases, both involving health workers in Kampala, raising the total confirmed cases in the country to seven.
The epicentres of the outbreak include Rwampara, Mongbwalu, Nyankunde
