https://www.theepochtimes.com/world/2nd-ebola-treatment-center-in-congo-set-alight-18-patients-missing-60379312nd Ebola Treatment Center in Congo Set Alight, 18 Patients Missingby Melanie Sun
5/24/2026
After protesters set a hospital on fire, medical staff wearing personal protective equipment carry a patient at a hospital in Rwampara in South Western Uganda, during the Ebola outbreak, on May 21, 2026.A second Ebola treatment tent in the eastern Congo, the epicenter of the unfolding Ebola outbreak in central Africa, was attacked by angry locals and set on fire on May 23.
No one was injured in the fire, but all patients in the facility were forced to flee the flames, leaving 18 suspected Ebola patients unaccounted for, the director of the local town hospital, Dr. Richard Lokudi, said. It was a Doctors Without Borders makeshift clinic in the town of Mongbwalu.
“We strongly condemn this act, as it caused panic among the staff and also resulted in the escape of 18 suspected cases into the community,” he told The Associated Press.
Another treatment tent in the neighboring town of Rwampara, about 30 miles away, was attacked and burned on May 21 by family members who were banned from retrieving the body of a local man suspected to have died of Ebola. That treatment facility was run by the medical charity The Alliance for International Medical Action (ALIMA).
Mongbwalu and Rwampara are among the health zones of the Congo’s northeastern Ituri Province that have had confirmed cases of Bundibugyo ebolavirus during the outbreak that was declared by local authorities on May 15.
On Friday, authorities in northeastern Congo banned funeral wakes and gatherings of more than 50 people in an effort to curb the spread of the virus.
The bodies of Ebola victims can still be a source of contagion of the deadly disease. Some families and friends have been protesting against not being able to bury their loved ones, as health authorities have stepped in to manage the preparation and burial of suspected Ebola victims.
The mortality rate for the Bundibugyo ebolavirus, a rarer strain of Ebola, is lower than for the more well-known Zaire ebolavirus but is still dangerous. A 2007 Uganda outbreak had a mortality rate of 25 percent, while a 2012 Congo outbreak had a mortality rate of 50 percent.
Vaccines and targeted treatments have only been developed for the Zaire ebolavirus, to the concern of the Congo authorities.
A team leader with the Red Cross, David Basima, who is overseeing the burials, said that a communal ceremony for Ebola patients in Rwampara was tense amid clashes between health workers and members of the community.
The Red Cross staff “experienced a lot of difficulties, including resistance from young people and the community,” Basima said. “We were forced to alert the authorities so that they could come to our aid, just for safety.”
The outbreak in the Congo has been elevated from “high” risk to “very high” risk by the World Health Organization, although the risk of global spread remains low.
In a May 22 update, the Congo said it has confirmed 10 deaths from the Bundibugyo virus, with 91 confirmed cases across three of its 26 provinces. There are another 867 suspected cases and 204 suspected deaths.
More at URL above...Poster's comments:
How do the locals handle a deadly disease?
Why, they just burn down the treatment facilities.
This is certainly going to help things along...
