Unidentified attackers set fire to an Ebola treatment centre in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Tshopo province on Saturday, forcing medical personnel to flee amid growing hostility towards health workers responding to the outbreak.
The attack occurred early Saturday in Bafwasende, a rural town in the country’s north-central region, according to Marcel Likilo, the head of the local health zone.
Two rooms designated for suspected Ebola patients were destroyed before security guards intervened and extinguished the flames, Likilo told reporters in the provincial capital, Kisangani.
The incident prompted medical teams deployed to support the Ebola response to withdraw to Kisangani, while suspected patients receiving care at the facility were transferred to Nia-Nia in neighbouring Ituri province.
The attack came a week after a health worker was killed by a mob while responding to an Ebola alert in the same area, highlighting mounting security threats facing medical personnel.
Health authorities have warned that community resistance, attacks on treatment facilities and threats against medical teams are undermining efforts to contain the outbreak.
The violence has raised concerns about disruptions to patient isolation, contact tracing and other measures considered essential to preventing further transmission.
The latest figures released by DR Congo’s Health Ministry show that confirmed Ebola infections have surpassed 10,000, with more than 5,000 deaths recorded since the outbreak was declared in mid-May.
The epidemic, caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, has placed mounting pressure on the country’s already strained healthcare system.
Officials continue to urge communities to cooperate with medical teams as authorities intensify efforts to contain the spread of the disease.
