Search Underway for Young Ebola Patient After Hospital Incident
Officials in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have initiated a search for a six-year-old girl diagnosed with Ebola and her mother. The pair were reportedly taken from Wanamahika Hospital in Butembo by armed individuals. Dr. Lubambo Maboko Gaston, a local health official, confirmed that "very angry" men, armed with knives, removed the child from the facility.
The motivation behind the abduction remains unclear, though the ongoing Ebola outbreak has been marked by significant suspicion and fear directed towards treatment centers. Dr. Gaston has publicly appealed for the child and her mother to seek medical attention, highlighting the risks of deteriorating health and potential transmission to relatives.
Attacks on Ebola Treatment Facilities
Ebola treatment centers have experienced numerous attacks throughout the current outbreak, which has resulted in nearly 200 fatalities and 840 confirmed cases. Prior incidents include police firing warning shots in Mongbwalu when crowds attempted to retrieve bodies of deceased loved ones from a health facility. Days earlier, isolation tents at a hospital in Rwampara were set ablaze by crowds protesting the prevention of taking a body believed to be an Ebola victim. The bodies of individuals who have died from Ebola are highly infectious, posing a significant risk for further viral spread during burial preparations.
"People are not properly informed or sensitised about what is happening. For a certain segment of the population, especially in remote areas, Ebola is an invention by outsiders - it does not exist," local politician Luc Malembe Malembe told the BBC last month. "They believe it is the NGOs and hospitals creating this to make money, and this is tragic."
Challenges in Containing the Outbreak
The current outbreak is attributed to the Bundibugyo species of Ebola, for which no vaccine is currently available. The World Health Organization (WHO) has indicated that a vaccine could take several months to develop. The majority of cases are concentrated in the provinces of Ituri, South Kivu, and North Kivu, with Ituri serving as the primary transmission hub. The six-year-old girl was taken from a hospital in North Kivu province on Monday.
The WHO has also expressed concern that ongoing conflict in eastern DRC, particularly the control of significant areas of North and South Kivu by the M23 rebel group, is severely impeding efforts to control the Ebola epidemic.
Source: Search for six-year-old Ebola patient after armed men storm DR Congo hospital