Second Ebola treatment center set on fire in epicenter of disease's outbreak
CBS News • • general
Key Points:
- Residents in Mongbwalu, eastern Congo, attacked and burned a Doctors Without Borders Ebola treatment tent, causing panic and the escape of 18 suspected Ebola patients who are now unaccounted for.
- A previous attack occurred in Rwampara, where a treatment center was burned after family members were denied access to retrieve the body of a suspected Ebola victim, highlighting tensions over burial practices.
- Ebola burials are conducted under tight security due to the high contagion risk from bodies, with authorities banning funeral wakes and large gatherings to curb virus spread amid community resistance.
- The WHO has raised the outbreak risk level in Congo to "very high," reporting 82 confirmed cases and 7 deaths, with many more suspected cases and deaths; no vaccine is available for the rare Bundibugyo Ebola strain involved.
- The U.S. has banned green card holders who have recently been in Ebola-affected countries, including Congo, Uganda, and South Sudan, from reentering the country to ensure proper screening and monitoring, though the inclusion of South Sudan is unclear.