Ebola treatment centres attacked and burned to the ground

Ebola is one of the most dangerous viruses in the world. An Infected person can be enough to bring the deadly pathogen in a village and spread it there. To contain the Virus, therefore, only if all of the Infected are isolated. Now, however, several patients from treatment centres are at the attacks in the Congo fled.

On Wednesday night, it came to Doctors without borders, an attack on an Ebola treatment centre in Butembo in the Eastern Democratic Republic of the. According to Congo’s health Ministry, several patients fled from the attackers. Four people are still missing, in the case where the Virus has already been confirmed. Also, 32 additional patients are disappeared.

“This attack has brought not only the lives of Ebola patients and their families in danger but also the staff of Doctors without borders and the Ministry of health”, said Hugues Robert, of Doctors without borders. The armed attackers had been involved in a firefight with security forces.

On Sunday, an Ebola had been burned in a further attack treatment center part, said the emergency coordinator for the Organisation in Katwa, Emmanuel Massart. The patient had to be brought accordingly, in another clinic, the centre was not yet back in operation.

The Background of the attacks is unclear. In the Region of several rebel groups fight against each other.

Nearly 900 Infected, more than 500 Dead

So far, have been infected in the province of North Kivu in the East of the Congo, 879 people with the dangerous pathogens, 553 died of it. Fear of the disease and the skepticism of the doctors are normal, says Massart. However, since the beginning of this epidemic, all stakeholders – would also have Doctors without borders – is not sufficient, the municipalities involved and the people about the disease, said Massart.

Therefore, many people think that if a Patient is in a treatment center, he’ll be back not alive. It is too often the case that the Diseased will die, Massart. “So Ebola will be hidden, patients often in the communities.”

You try now, the work in the fight against Ebola more on population vote, said the emergency coordinator of Doctors without borders. “If we want to end this outbreak, can’t we do this without the trust of the population.”

The current outbreak has developed into the second most serious epidemic of Ebola since the discovery of the Virus, the first cases were known in the beginning of August. In the case of the most serious epidemic in West Africa in 2014 and 2015, more than 11,000 people were killed.