Ebola outbreaks are increasing in eastern DRC amid rising fears | Story

Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo – Attacks on Ebola hospitals are increasing in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) as the World Health Organization has warned that the epidemic could worsen in the DRC and Uganda.

On Thursday, hospitals in Rwampara were bombed by a group of angry people who wanted the bodies of relatives who died of Ebola, according to local reports. The event was also confirmed by Congolese government partners working in the region.

A day later, a tent provided by Doctors Without Borders, also known as MSF, at the Mongbwalu hospital in Ituri district was set on fire.

“After the death of a patient showing symptoms of Ebola in one of the tents, medical staff separated the body in accordance with strict health protocols,” the NGO Alliance for International Medical Action (ALIMA) said in a statement sent to Al Jazeera.

Physical tension

It said that when the body was being prepared for burial, a dispute broke out that resulted in the burning of two tents.

“Despite this, the teams also managed to protect the body of the patient by preparing for a dignified and safe burial, in accordance with the principles of Ebola,” added ALIMA.

Health workers in the Ebola-affected areas of eastern DRC have repeatedly come under fire from communities over strict burial laws, which require special bodies to prevent the spread of the virus. Aid organizations said conflicts were often driven by fear, rumors and distrust of medical groups.

“Some people here believe that Ebola is a business,” said Gloire Idriss, a resident of Rwampara who witnessed the accident. “When doctors refuse to donate the bodies of people who died of Ebola, people think they are selling their organs.”

Mistrust grows

The Congolese Ministry of Health has said that the bodies of people affected by Ebola are still highly contagious and should be treated by well-trained teams with protective equipment.

“Let’s bury the dead,” Roger Kamba told Radio France Internationale. “The dead should not take others to the grave.”

In eastern DRC, it is customary for relatives and neighbors to gather at the home of the deceased to pay their last respects, and some mourners touch the body as a final farewell.

“When my daughter died of Ebola last month, a medical team came to transplant her.” We couldn’t say we were going to the finals. It still makes me angry that I had to watch his funeral without doing our rituals,” said Lokana Jean, a 40-year-old resident of Mongbwalu. Name changed for privacy reasons.

“In the best of circumstances, I would have held him and felt his last warmth,” he told Al Jazeera.

The charges are high

As of Saturday, about 180 people have died from the disease and about 800 cases have been registered, according to Congo’s Ministry of Health.

Authorities in Ituri have implemented measures to try to slow the spread, including limits on public gatherings, suspending wake-up calls and banning the movement of bodies between places.

Rodriguez Kisando, a health and environmental doctor, said the attacks targeting Ebola treatment facilities are being driven by rumors and lies.

“When an epidemic starts, rumors spread quickly. If accurate information is not shared quickly, people believe everything, and that’s when violence starts,” he told Al Jazeera.

Respond under pressure

He warned that attacks on treatment centers with patients fleeing before completing treatment could accelerate the spread of the disease.

“As long as there is violence and patients are fleeing Ebola treatment facilities before they are treated, the disease will continue to spread. This is very serious,” he said.

In the midst of a significant decrease in international aid, Congolese officials said that the country’s economy is covering a large part of the solution, and the shortage is very visible.

ALIMA has said that the equipment to detect, treat and prevent Ebola is still insufficient and has asked for the help of many countries.

A Congolese official who was involved in the response in Rwampara, speaking on condition of anonymity, said hospitals were overcrowded.

“We are receiving new confirmed cases almost every day. The resources we have are not sufficient for the growth of this epidemic,” he said.

Regional accountability

Government officials in Ituri and North Kivu are urging people to wash their hands regularly, keep their distance from sick people, cook enough food, avoid self-harm and dependent response teams.

The African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has put 10 African countries on alert: South Sudan, Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Republic of Congo, Burundi, Angola, Central African Republic and Zambia.

DRC, Uganda and South Sudan have agreed to strengthen cross-border cooperation, including surveillance, early warning systems, border control and the development of laboratory capacity and solutions.