Crowd Burns Ebola Isolation Tents at Rwampara General Hospital, DR Congo
A crowd set fire to isolation tents at Rwampara General Hospital, near Bunia in Ituri province, Democratic Republic of Congo. The unrest occurred when family and friends of a young man, suspected to have died from Ebola, were prevented from removing his body for burial. Police fired warning shots to disperse the crowd, which had begun throwing projectiles at the hospital.
Local politician Luc Malembe Malembe witnessed the events, stating that tents used as isolation wards were specifically targeted. Medical personnel at Rwampara hospital, where the majority of Ebola cases have been reported, are now operating under military protection. One healthcare worker sustained injuries from stone-throwing protesters before law enforcement intervened.
Jean Claude Mukendi, co-ordinating the Ebola security response in Ituri, noted that the deceased was a popular local figure, and his community did not "grasp the reality of the disease." Witnesses identified the man as a footballer, with his mother asserting he died of typhoid fever, not Ebola. Malembe indicated a prevalent local belief that Ebola is an "invention by outsiders" concocted by NGOs and hospitals for financial gain, rather than a legitimate illness. Two tents were destroyed, alongside a body awaiting burial.
The World Health Organization (WHO) advocates for "safe and dignified burials," executed by trained teams using protective equipment. Six patients undergoing treatment in the affected tents are now accounted for and receiving care. This disturbance follows the cancellation of the DR Congo national football team's pre-World Cup training camp due to the outbreak.
The WHO has declared the situation a "public health emergency of international concern," although not yet a pandemic. Figures on fatalities vary; the WHO reported 139 deaths from 600 suspected cases, while Congolese Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba cited 159 deaths. Neighbouring Uganda has detected two cases and has suspended public transport and passenger ferries across the border.
The current outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo species of Ebola, for which no vaccine is immediately available, with a potential nine-month development timeline. The M23 rebel group, controlling parts of eastern DR Congo, confirmed a case in South Kivu province, hundreds of kilometres from Ituri. The 28-year-old victim, who travelled from Kisangani where no infections are recorded, died before diagnosis. Concerns are rising regarding access to rebel-held areas for containment efforts, though the M23 has stated it will cooperate with international partners.
