Attacks on Workers Hurt Ebola Response in Congo

At least a dozen attacks on health facilities and workers have been recorded during Congo's Ebola outbreak, authorities said Saturday, as safety fears restrict the response in the region affected the most. Many health workers and other frontline workers in Ituri province have also gone on strike over unpaid salaries, further complicating response efforts in what's been declared the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak on record. So far 2,181 cases have been recorded, including 864 deaths, the AP reports. The Bundibugyo virus responsible for this outbreak is less common than others that cause Ebola disease, and there is no approved vaccine or treatment.

Many of the attacks have been carried out by angry mobs that have stormed treatment centers or targeted response teams in the field, Pierre Akilimali, incident manager for the Ebola response, said at a press briefing in Bunia, the capital of Ituri. The attacks are not limited to health care teams and affect frontline workers like burial teams, according to Dr. Adelard Lufongola, operations manager for the Ebola response. "Members of the various response teams have been held captive in some health zones. Teams responsible for safe and dignified burials have been threatened and continue to be threatened in some cemeteries and within several communities," Lufongola said.

United Nations spokesman Stéphane Dujarric on Thursday told reporters that humanitarian actors are "deeply concerned by escalating violence" and that access to treatment centers and surrounding communities remains constrained. "The worsening security situation has forced several humanitarian partners involved in the Ebola response to temporarily relocate staff to Bunia which is relatively safer," he said. On Wednesday, residents in the town of Nyakunde attacked a hospital and an Ebola treatment center nearby. "I fear that the aid workers involved in combating this Ebola outbreak are going to leave the area. This risks making the task of eradicating the outbreak more difficult," said Christophe Munyanderu, a civil society leader in Ituri's Irumu territory.