Authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) disclosed on Tuesday that a woman and two six-year-old children were taken by unidentified assailants armed with knives from an Ebola treatment facility. It is believed both children tested positive for the virus.
The event took place in North Kivu province, which is among the regions hardest hit by the ongoing Ebola outbreak. Nearby Ituri province is suspected to be the origin of the first cases in this year’s outbreak, though officials are still uncertain about the exact start date. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared a public health emergency on May 17, but Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus mentioned that the outbreak might have begun as early as January.
Current gang violence in eastern DRC, coupled with insufficient funding and local distrust towards humanitarian workers, have hindered efforts by disease control specialists to identify and manage outbreaks effectively. The virus responsible has been identified as the Bundibugyo strain, which is less common and has proven difficult to detect using standard tests for more prevalent strains like Zaire.
As of Wednesday, WHO and local governments reported 856 cases linked to this Bundibugyo outbreak, which has resulted in 198 confirmed deaths, predominantly in DRC, with 19 cases in Uganda. There are also 235 suspected cases in DRC that remain unverified, leaving the situation quite ambiguous.
Earlier, reports indicated that a six-year-old Ebola patient went missing during an abduction from Wanamahika Hospital in Butembo. It seems the attackers primarily aimed to take specific individuals, rather than engaging in a broader act of violence or ransom, which is common in similar cases across Africa.
“Assailants armed with knives attacked a clinic near Butembo in North Kivu province late on Monday and took two people,” cited Reuters, while further details about the attackers or their motivations remain elusive.
Local health official Dr. Lubambo Maboko Gaston expressed serious concern about the fate of the victims, warning that removing Ebola patients from isolation could have dire consequences for disease transmission.
“We earnestly urge them to return to an Ebola treatment facility immediately, as their departure threatens their health and risks spreading the infection to their families,” he stated.
The eastern DRC is plagued by numerous armed groups vying for control of its resource-rich areas. The Alliance for Democracy (ADF), a militant group with ties to radical Islam, has continued its assaults throughout the Ebola crisis, disrupting humanitarian efforts. Just recently, ADF members targeted villages near Beni, resulting in deaths and displacing entire communities.
According to Congolese broadcaster Radio Okapi, ADF attacks in Ituri province have surged since March, affecting over 20 villages and causing significant loss of life, along with severe disruptions to the local economy.
Compounding these challenges, there exists a widespread belief in the region that Ebola is not a genuine health threat but rather a facade perpetrated by international agencies to justify killings. This myth has spurred attacks on medical facilities and led families of patients to attempt to ‘rescue’ them from what they perceive as a death sentence from medical personnel.
“Some believe Ebola is a fabrication by doctors,” noted local worker Jean Asmani, “but when they witness people dying from the disease, their perspective shifts, and they begin to take it seriously.”
In May, mobs attacked communities in Ituri and North Kivu, setting isolation centers ablaze and attempting to abscond with bodies of Ebola victims in a desperate bid to save living patients.
Ebola spreads through contact with infected bodily fluids, particularly blood, and traditional burial customs that involve close interaction with deceased individuals can facilitate its transmission. Thus, these reckless mob actions could heighten the risk to everyone involved.
