Armed men storm DR Congo hospital, six-year-old Ebola patient missing
Health authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo say a six-year-old Ebola patient is missing after armed men stormed the Bulambo hospital in the country's east. The health ministry has launched a national appeal to locate the child and return her to isolation.
The Bulambo hospital is one of three treatment centres set up for last month's Ebola outbreak in North Kivu province. A health ministry spokesperson said the attack took place in the morning and that armed men controlled the building for about three hours, with the six-year-old girl no longer in her bed when they withdrew. No serious injuries to medical staff were reported.
No direct link has yet been established to armed groups such as M23 or ADF that operate in the region. The investigation is in its early stages. UNICEF and the World Health Organization warned that the risk of further outbreak spread rises if the child remains outside isolation. The province has recorded 22 confirmed cases in the past three weeks, with nine deaths.
The attack came as the DRC army, the UN MONUSCO peacekeeping force and a SADC mission led by Kenya were holding coordination talks on security in the country's east. The health workers' union said it had requested permanent military protection in outbreak areas. The ministry said tracing teams and community health workers had been doubled in number to find the child.
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