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JOHANNESBURG – It's a "dark day" for all those fighting the Ebola epidemic after rebels shot dead two Congolese army medical officers, the Congolese health minister said on Saturday.
This seems to be the first time that health workers are killed by rebels in this epidemic that is unfolding in what has been compared to a war zone. Several rebel groups are active in the far northeastern Congo.
Mai Mai rebels came out of the forest and opened fire on unarmed agents with the rapid intervention medical unit of the army at the entrance to Butembo town, announced the Ministry of Health.
The day attack seemed premeditated, with civilians present being left unharmed, the statement said. The medical officers had been placed in "danger zones" to help border health officials at the borders.
Confirmed cases of Ebola have now reached 200, including 117 deaths. Help groups have expressed concern that insecurity and sometimes hostile community resistance have brought the number of new cases to more than double this month.
Health workers involved in the outbreak, declared on 1 August, said they heard gunshots every day, operating under armed escort of peacekeepers or Congolese security forces in the UK and having to stop work in the United States. sunset to reduce the risk of attack.
The Congolese Ministry of Health has reported "numerous attacks" against health workers. Earlier this month, two Red Cross volunteers were seriously injured in a confrontation with concerned community members in a region traumatized by decades of conflict and facing an Ebola outbreak for the first time.
A deadly rebel attack against civilians in Beni late last month forced the suspension of Ebola containment efforts for several days, and the effects are still visible. Many of the new cases confirmed this month, including six reported on Saturday, occurred in Beni, where most of the work on the Ebola virus is concentrated.
"Health workers are not targeted by armed groups," said Health Minister Oly Ilunga. "Our agents will continue to go to the field every day to fulfill the mission entrusted to them. They are true heroes and we will continue to take all necessary steps to ensure that they can do their job safely. "
On Wednesday, the World Health Organization said it was "deeply concerned" by the epidemic but that it still does not warrant being declared a global emergency. An epidemic must be an "extraordinary event" that can cross borders, requiring a coordinated response. Confirmed cases have been discovered near the busy border with Uganda.
In the latest sign of the rumors that pose another serious problem for containing the deadly virus, the Ministry of Health said 22 young people from Butembo had dug up the body of an Ebola victim and had opened the bag mortuary, "wanting to verify that no organ was removed from the body by health workers."
They eventually touched extremely infectious bodily fluids, the ministry said. "The next day, they agreed to be vaccinated," joining more than 20,000 people who have been vaccinated so far.
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