Attacks on Ebola health facilities are intensifying in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) as the World Health Organization warns the outbreak could worsen in the DR
The report indicates that attacks on Ebola health facilities are intensifying in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) as the World Health Organization warns the outbreak could worsen in the DRC and Uganda
It further notes that on Thursday, the Rwampara health centre was stormed by a group of angry residents demanding the bodies of relatives who had died from Ebola, according to local sources. The incident was also confirmed by partners of the Congolese government involved in the response in the area.
A day later, a tent provided by Doctors Without Borders, also known by its acronym MSF, at a hospital in Mongbwalu in Ituri province was set on fire.
“Following the death of a patient showing symptoms of Ebola virus disease in one of the tents, healthcare staff isolated the body in line with strict health protocols,” the NGO Alliance for International Medical Action (ALIMA) stated in a statement sent to Al Jazeera.
It stated that while the body was being prepared for burial, tensions flared, resulting in the burning of two tents.
“Despite this incident, the teams were also able to secure the body of the deceased patient in preparation for a dignified and safe burial, in accordance with Ebola response standards,” ALIMA added.
Health workers in Ebola-hit areas of the eastern DRC have repeatedly faced resistance from communities over strict burial protocols, which require specialised handling of bodies to prevent further transmission of the virus. Aid agencies stated the tensions are often driven by fear, rumours and mistrust of medical teams.
“Some people here believe that Ebola is a business,” stated Gloire Idriss, a resident of Rwampara who witnessed the scene. “When healthcare providers refuse to hand over the bodies of those who have died from Ebola, people think they might be trafficking their organs.”
The Congolese health minister has stated the bodies of Ebola victims remain highly contagious and must be handled only by trained teams in protective gear.
“Let us bury the deceased safely,” Roger Kamba told Radio France Internationale. “The dead must not take others with them into the grave.”
In the eastern DRC, it is customary for relatives and neighbours to gather at the home of the deceased to pay their last respects, and some mourners touch the body as a final act of farewell.
“When my daughter died of Ebola last month, the medical team came to bury her. We didn’t get to say our final goodbyes. It still upsets me that I had to watch her funeral helplessly without our cultural rites,” stated Lokana Jean, a 40-year-old resident of Mongbwalu. Name changed for privacy reasons.
“Under normal circumstances, I would have held her close and felt her final warmth,” he told Al Jazeera.
As of Saturday, nearly 180 people had died from the disease and close to 800 cases had been recorded, according to the Congolese Ministry of Public Health.
