Authorities in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo are searching for a six-year-old Ebola patient and her mother after armed men stormed the hospital where they were being treated. The abduction raises fears of further spread of the virus.
The abduction of an Ebola-positive child and her mother from a treatment center highlights the severe challenges posed by insecurity and misinformation in containing the outbreak, increasing the risk of further viral spread in a region already struggling with a deadly epidemic.
Authorities in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo are searching for a six-year-old Ebola patient and her mother after armed men stormed the hospital where they were being treated. The child was taken from Wanamahika Hospital in Butembo by men armed with knives, according to local health official Dr Lubambo Maboko Gaston. The abduction raises fears of further spread of the virus, as the body of an Ebola victim is highly infectious. Gaston urged the child and her mother to return to a health center to prevent worsening their health and infecting relatives. Ebola treatment facilities have been targeted multiple times during the ongoing outbreak due to suspicion and fear, with some segments of the population believing Ebola is a fabrication by NGOs. The current outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo species of Ebola, has resulted in 837 cases and 196 deaths nationally, with North Kivu province recording 67 cases and 38 deaths. There is currently no vaccine for this species.
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