KINSHASA, July 16– Humanitarian workers involved in the response to the Ebola outbreak were evacuated early Thursday after violence erupted overnight at an Ebola treatment center in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
According to local security and civil society sources, the violence broke out following the death of a pregnant woman at Nyakunde General Hospital, which serves as an Ebola treatment center in Ituri province, the epicenter of the outbreak.
Angered members of the local community reportedly targeted the treatment center, triggering an exchange of gunfire. Following the incident, a humanitarian convoy was evacuated as the security situation deteriorated. Casualties were reported, although details remained unclear.
Local sources also said that several Ebola patients receiving treatment at the facility may have fled. The Ebola response has been further complicated by insecurity, attacks on health workers and medical facilities, community mistrust, patients leaving treatment centers before completing treatment, and recent protests by frontline responders over working conditions and unpaid allowances.
A total of 119 health workers and frontline responders have been infected during the outbreak, including 60 who have died, Congolese authorities said Thursday. (Namibia Daily News / Xinhua)
