Eighteen patients suspected of having Ebola escaped from a treatment centre in Mongbwalu, eastern Congo, after unidentified assailants set fire to a tent run by Doctors Without Borders on Friday night. This marks the second such attack on a treatment facility in the region within a week.
Dr Richard Lokudi, director of Mongbwalu General Reference Hospital, confirmed the incident and condemned the act, stating it caused panic among staff and led to the escape of suspected cases into the community. The previous attack occurred on Thursday in Rwampara, where a treatment centre was burned after family members were prevented from retrieving a body.
Ebola victims' bodies are highly contagious, and traditional burial practices can spread the virus, leading to tensions between health workers and local communities. In response, authorities in northeastern Congo have banned funeral wakes and gatherings of more than 50 people.
The World Health Organisation has raised the risk level for Congo to 'very high', with 82 confirmed cases and seven deaths reported. However, the outbreak is believed to be much larger, with 750 suspected cases and 177 suspected deaths. The Bundibugyo strain, for which no vaccine exists, spread undetected for weeks.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies reported that three of its volunteers died from the outbreak in Mongbwalu, likely infected on 27 March while handling dead bodies in a non-Ebola mission, pushing back the outbreak's estimated timeline.
