An angry crowd set fire to parts of a hospital in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo after being stopped from taking away the body of a young man believed to have died from Ebola, according to reports by the Associated Press (AP).
Family and friends had gathered at Rwampara General Hospital, near Bunia in Ituri province, but were prevented from removing the body due to strict burial rules linked to the virus.
Hospital attacked, tents burned
Local politician Luc Malembe Malembe, who witnessed the incident, told the BBC: “They started throwing projectiles at the hospital. They even set fire to tents that were being used as isolation wards.”
Police fired warning shots to disperse the crowd as the situation escalated. Two tents used for isolating patients were burned, along with a body that had been due for burial.
A healthcare worker was injured after being hit by stones, a hospital staff member told the BBC.
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Why bodies are not handed over
Authorities restrict access to the bodies of Ebola victims because they remain highly infectious after death. The World Health Organization recommends “safe and dignified burials” carried out by trained teams using protective equipment.
Medical staff at the hospital were later placed under military protection as security forces moved in to restore order.
Officials said the unrest was linked to a lack of awareness about the disease. Jean Claude Mukendi, coordinating the Ebola security response in Ituri, told the Associated Press that those protesting did not “grasp the reality of the disease”.
Malembe told the BBC that some people believe Ebola is not real. “For a certain segment of the population, especially in remote areas, Ebola is an invention by outsiders – it does not exist,” he said.
He added that some suspect aid groups and hospitals of creating the disease for financial gain.
Patients accounted for after chaos
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Six patients were being treated in the tents at the time of the attack. There were initial fears they had fled, but the medical charity Alima later said all patients were accounted for and continued to receive care.
Outbreak spreads, cases rise
The incident comes as the Ebola outbreak in eastern DR Congo continues to grow. The World Health Organization has described it as a “public health emergency of international concern”.
According to WHO figures, nearly 600 suspected cases and about 139 deaths have been reported, although Congolese authorities have given a higher death toll.
Cases have also been detected in neighbouring Uganda, where authorities have suspended cross-border transport.
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Concerns over spread and access
The outbreak has been linked to the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which there is currently no approved vaccine. Health officials say it could take months before one is available.
Concerns are also rising about the spread of the virus into areas controlled by the M23 rebel group. The group has reported a case in South Kivu province and said it would work with international agencies to contain the outbreak.
Meanwhile, DR Congo’s national football team has cancelled a planned training camp in Kinshasa due to the situation.
Authorities continue to stress the need for public cooperation to control the spread of the virus.
