Protesters attacked Rwampara General Hospital near Bunia in Ituri province after they were prevented from removing the body of a suspected Ebola victim. Local witnesses said the crowd threw projectiles at the facility, set fire to tents used as isolation wards and burned a body that had been prepared for burial. Police fired warning shots to disperse the crowd, and a healthcare worker was reported injured after being hit by stones.
Hospital staff said they refused to hand over the body because of strict protocols linked to Ebola. The virus remains highly infectious after death, and the World Health Organization requires safe and dignified burials to be carried out only by trained teams wearing protective equipment. Following the attack, healthcare workers at the hospital were placed under military protection.
Officials blamed a lack of awareness and distrust of aid groups for the violence. Authorities said some people in remote areas suspect that hospitals and international teams are creating the disease for financial gain, and many protesters did not grasp the risks posed by Ebola and the reason for the burial rules.
At the time of the incident six patients were being treated in the tents that were destroyed. The WHO has reported nearly 600 suspected cases and about 139 deaths in the outbreak so far and has described the situation as a public health emergency of international concern. This outbreak has been linked to the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which there is currently no approved vaccine.
There are additional concerns about spread into areas controlled by the M23 rebel group. M23 reported a case in South Kivu province and said it would cooperate with international agencies to help contain the outbreak.