Ebola Mistrust Triggers 2 Hospital Attacks in Congo as 24 Patients Flee

12 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · May 27

Two attacks on hospitals in eastern Congo last week forced health workers to flee and let 24 patients escape, including 18 suspected Ebola cases from Mongbwalu General Hospital.
The violence was fueled by disbelief that Ebola is real and anger over safe-burial rules after a popular 30-year-old soccer player died, with residents trying to seize his body for traditional rites.
At least 750 suspected cases and 177 deaths have been recorded in the outbreak, centered in Ituri province, where rumors accuse aid groups of inventing Ebola or spreading it for money.
Aid workers say funding cuts have deepened mistrust by slashing broader health services—one group said support fell from 96 clinics to one-third that number—while insecurity and weak infrastructure hamper outreach.
Churches and local groups are trying to rebuild trust through safe-burial and sanitation campaigns, but responders warn the outbreak could grow into the thousands and worsen food and health crises.

Did shifting international aid policies inadvertently create the perfect storm for this deadly Ebola outbreak to thrive?

How do you fight a deadly virus when communities believe the doctors, not the disease, are the real enemy?

With no vaccine, was the battle against misinformation more critical than the one against the virus itself?