Ebola patients flee in attacks on Congo health facilities, hobbling response

Health workers fighting Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo confronted renewed danger as attacks targeted health facilities in Ituri province. At Mongbwalu General Referral Hospital, 18 Ebola patients fled on Saturday after unidentified assailants burned tents used to isolate patients, and the facility was again attacked on Sunday, allowing more than two dozen people to escape during the weekend. The World Health Organization has declared the Bundibugyo strain outbreak a public health emergency of international concern; authorities report more than 900 suspected cases and 101 confirmed infections. Local clinicians warn that violence compounds shortages of basic supplies and fuels community suspicion about outsiders’ motives amid a rapid influx of aid. Dr. Richard Lokodu, medical director of Mongbwalu hospital, says denial of the disease and attempts to reclaim bodies hinder containment. WHO data indicate the outbreak ranks among the largest Bundibugyo Ebola events on record, underscoring the fragility of response in conflict-affected areas. On Monday, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus noted that delays in case detection have left responders playing catch-up as the outbreak spreads. The episode echoes violence from Congo’s 2018-2020 Ebola era, which killed more than 25 health workers and disrupted vaccination and treatment. The attacks complicate efforts to halt transmission, highlighting how security, trust, and access must improve alongside medical intervention to curb the outbreak.