Fears and frustrations over the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo are now spilling into the streets and turning violent. A temporary Ebola treatment center in the city of Rwampara was set on fire Thursday after health officials refused to release the body of a young man who died from the virus to his family.
The medical tents were set up to help contain the outbreak. Six patients were inside the facility at the time of the attack and have since been transferred to a hospital.
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“The police intervened to try to calm the situation, but unfortunately, they were unsuccessful,” Alexis Burata, a local student who said he was in the area, told The Associated Press. “The young people ended up setting fire to the center. That’s the situation.”
The AP reports individuals broke into the center and set fire to objects inside, including one suspected Ebola victim who was being stored there.
Safety measures vs local customs
Health officials say the incident exposes a deeper challenge in fighting Ebola: balancing safety measures with local customs surrounding death and burial.
The bodies of Ebola victims can remain highly infectious, which means burials often have to be handled by specially trained teams wearing protective gear.
That can clash with traditional practices, which frequently include family members washing or touching the body and large gatherings of mourners.
A resource shortage
Health officials are also dealing with a second challenge: resources.
CNN reports that some health experts and aid organizations say cuts to U.S. and international health funding have left frontline responders with fewer tools to track and contain the outbreak. They say health workers were laid off before the outbreak, and reported shortages of critical medical supplies and American support for global aid programs.
The Trump administration has pushed back on claims that the response capacity has been weakened.
The United Nations says there are now nearly 600 suspected cases and 148 suspected deaths linked to the outbreak.
World Health Organization officials believe the actual numbers are likely higher.
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