Congo Loses Track of 18 Suspected Ebola Patients After Treatment Tent Burns
Updated
Updated · PBS NewsHour · May 23
Congo Loses Track of 18 Suspected Ebola Patients After Treatment Tent Burns
10 articles · Updated · PBS NewsHour · May 23
Eighteen suspected Ebola patients fled into the community after angry residents torched a Doctors Without Borders treatment tent in Mongbwalu on Friday night, with no injuries initially reported.
The attack was the second on an Ebola facility in Ituri province in a week, driven in part by tensions over strict burial rules for suspected victims whose bodies can remain highly contagious.
Saturday burials in Rwampara went ahead under armed police and military protection as Red Cross teams reported resistance from local youths and grieving families were kept at a distance.
WHO now rates the outbreak a "very high" risk for Congo, with 82 confirmed cases and 7 confirmed deaths, while officials suspect the true toll is far higher at 750 suspected cases and 177 suspected deaths.
Three Red Cross volunteers in Mongbwalu have also died after possibly contracting the virus on March 27 while handling bodies, a timeline that could push the outbreak's known start back by weeks.
As a rare Ebola virus spreads to Uganda, what is being done to prevent a wider international crisis?
Is community fear or militia influence the greater threat to stopping this new Ebola outbreak?
Deadly Bundibugyo Ebola Outbreak 2026: DRC Faces Community Resistance, Humanitarian Crisis, and Global Health Threat
Overview
On May 21, 2026, an Ebola treatment center in Rwampara was set on fire, highlighting the deep mistrust and cultural conflicts between the community and public health measures. This arson attack, which followed the virus’s initial spread through traditional funeral practices that conflicted with safe burial protocols, created a cycle of mistrust and resistance. Despite these challenges, aid agencies and police responded quickly, and calm was eventually restored at the center. The incident underscores the ongoing struggle to control Ebola in a region where cultural traditions and mistrust complicate effective outbreak response.