Ebola tensions rise as treatment centre torched in DR Congo's Ituri
An Ebola treatment centre in the Democratic Republic of Congo's Ituri province has been set on fire by an angry crowd. The incident underlined a sharp test of community trust during the outbreak and the need for new measures to protect health workers.
Footage from Al Jazeera shows the treatment centre standing in a small town near the city of Bunia in Ituri province. Eyewitnesses said the crowd surged toward the tents before the fire was set and attacked disinfection equipment, with one group voicing distrust of "medications brought in from outside".
World Health Organization representatives said the outbreak's case count above 600 and the death toll near 139 are placing communities under heavy stress, and that limited security corridors across the M23 conflict zone have slowed vaccination campaigns. After the fire, treatment centre teams moved capacity to a wing of a nearby general hospital.
The Congolese Ministry of Health said it had assigned additional staff so that community-mobilisation teams could engage village councils and religious leaders in coming days. Aid agencies have moved health-worker safety to the top of the agenda, including vehicle escorts, protective equipment and community-information broadcasts on local radio.
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