Congo reports attack on Ebola burial team amid rising cases

Residents attacked an Ebola burial team in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo's South Kivu province this week, forcing responders to abandon a coffin and raising fears of further transmission, the health ministry said. The assault took place on Monday in Katana, a town controlled by AFC/M23 rebels some 30 kilometres north of the provincial capital Bukavu, according to the ministry and the head of a local hospital. It targeted a "safe and dignified burial team" trained to handle highly infectious bodies under strict protocols. The body was subsequently handled by members of the community, a high-risk practice that can fuel new chains of infection. The health ministry and the hospital official did not specify what triggered the attack, but the incident underscores mistrust and resistance that continue to hamper response efforts. In a similar incident on Monday in Bunia, the capital of Ituri province, residents assaulted a response team at a cemetery, leaving at least four injured. Congo has recorded 363 confirmed Ebola cases and 62 deaths since the latest outbreak, the country's 17th, was declared on May 15. Health authorities reported 19 new confirmed cases, including two deaths, in the most recent update, with infections now spread across 17 out of 36 health zones in Ituri province. Cases have also been reported in seven health zones in North Kivu province and one health zone in South Kivu province. Despite the setbacks, the ministry noted some progress, highlighting 32 contact cases in Ituri's Rwampara who were determined not to have Ebola, and officials in Goma were preparing to discharge a recovered patient.