Red Cross workers attacked by the spread of the Ebola virus in Congo

More than 100 people in a northeastern province of the Democratic Republic of Congo, still struggling with the conflict, have died as a result of an Ebola outbreak, as volunteers struggle to prevent the spread of Ebola. of the deadly disease have been attacked, officials said this week.

Three Red Cross volunteers were violently attacked by community members during the burial of Ebola victims in Butembo town, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies reported on Thursday. Red Croissant. Two of the volunteers were seriously injured, according to a press release.

"Tuesday's attack was the most violent impact of community resistance so far," said Fatoumata Nafo-Traoré, Africa Regional Director for the organization. "It's a terrible reminder of the dangers that these safe and dignified burial teams are facing."

Officials have noted that safe burials are essential to prevent the spread of the virus, which can still be transmitted by the body even after death. The Red Cross said it has performed 162 burials in North Kivu province since the official announcement of the outbreak on August 1.

"While we categorically denounce the attack on our colleagues, we understand the fear and frustration felt by many communities in North Kivu," said Nafo-Traoré. "People are scared and a lot of rumors circulating that only reinforce the feeling of fear and mistrust."

The Director General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said Wednesday during a video conference with the UN Security Council that the outbreak had reached a "critical point" .

"This epidemic is occurring in the context of much larger humanitarian needs, in a country whose population has suffered tremendously for several decades," said Ghebreyesus, noting that it was the 10th epidemic of HIV / AIDS. Ebola in Congo.

The WHO has more than 200 field staff, who currently operate in four different centers, he added.

WHO and MONUSCO (United Nations Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo) have so far identified 161 confirmed and probable cases of Ebola, counted 106 deaths and identified 45 survivors.

Another 13,700 people were vaccinated and 47 people were treated with experimental therapies, said Ghebreyesus.

But the managing director described the growing epidemic as an "extremely difficult situation" in which cases were discovered in areas bordering Uganda and in "red areas" or inaccessible due to the fact. Occupation by armed troops. Officials on Saturday raised the risk of "high" to "very high" regional spread after two people infected with the virus traveled from Beni town in the north-east to Tchomia, near the Ugandan border.

WHO officials have expressed concern about the spread of the virus not only in Uganda, but also in Burundi, South Sudan and Rwanda. The risk of spreading out of Africa, he said, remains low.

In addition to distrust of the community, some Congolese health workers working in the fight against haemorrhagic fever reported that they felt they were functioning effectively in a war zone because of ongoing armed conflicts, including several fatal attacks. 10 miles from Beni. WHO centers.

Human Rights Watch has called for an investigation into the massacres in the DRC, which killed more than 200 civilians this year in and around the city of Beni, reported ABC News. The attacks reportedly involved guns, axes, machetes and other weapons.

"There has been an increase in the frequency and intensity of attacks by armed groups in the immediate vicinity of Beni," Ghebreyesus said Wednesday, highlighting ambushes, rocket explosions and other chaos during last two months. Such attacks put the operations of the WHO in isolation for several days while deadly haemorrhagic fever continues to spread, he said.

"We have taken all possible steps to ensure the safety of WHO staff, but the more we deploy personnel on the ground, the greater the risk of accident, kidnapping or l" ". one of our colleagues is simply in the wrong place. bad time, "added Ghebreyesus.

After the meeting, the Security Council called for the end of hostilities by armed groups in the northern regions of the country hit by the Ebola virus.

"Rest assured that we are working day and night on the response and that we are doing everything in our power to put an end to this epidemic," Ghebreyesus said Wednesday.