Sign up for our daily briefing
Make your busy days simpler with Axios AM/PM. Catch up on what's new and why it matters in just 5 minutes.
Stay on top of the latest market trends
Subscribe to Axios Markets for the latest market trends and economic insights. Sign up for free.
Sports news worthy of your time
Binge on the stats and stories that drive the sports world with Axios Sports. Sign up for free.
Tech news worthy of your time
Get our smart take on technology from the Valley and D.C. with Axios Login. Sign up for free.
Get the inside stories
Get an insider's guide to the new White House with Axios Sneak Peek. Sign up for free.
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Want a daily digest of the top Denver news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Denver
Want a daily digest of the top Des Moines news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Des Moines
Want a daily digest of the top Twin Cities news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Twin Cities
Want a daily digest of the top Tampa Bay news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Tampa Bay
Want a daily digest of the top Charlotte news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Charlotte
The World Health Organization said Thursday it was deeply concerned over 2 violent attacks on Ebola treatment centers in 2 cities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo this past week, which resulted in fatalities, traumatized patients and health care workers, and damage to key medical facilities.
Why it matters: Doctors without Borders (MSF), one of the lead international organizations helping the DRC's efforts to contain and eradicate the second-worst outbreak on record of the deadly virus, is now suspending its medical activities in the heart of the outbreak in Butembo and Katwa. As seen with prior violence that halted health care activities, interruptions in efforts to diagnose and treat infected people and vaccinate others can lead to an increase in new infections and deaths.
What's happening: A "toxic environment" has been created by a combination of people who don't believe Ebola exists and don't trust the government or international relief workers efforts, in addition to local politicians "promoting lies about Ebola" when they speak and through WhatsApp, DRC spokesperson Jessica Ilunga tells Axios.
- "Such attacks are deplorable for their immediate impact on lives and for the risk of spreading the disease further. They are profoundly disrespectful of the dedicated work of local, regional and international responders," WHO said in its statement.
What's next: MSF says it will continue its operations in other parts of DRC, including in the towns of Kayna and Lubéru. The organization has also been supporting emergency preparedness in the city of Goma by reinforcing the surveillance system and ensuring there is adequate capacity to isolate suspected cases.
- Emmanuel Massart, MSF's emergency coordinator in DRC, tells Axios that members of the Ebola response team need to approach the problem of community mistrust in a new way to mobilize the population to back their health efforts.
"Community engagement means that the population engages in the response. To do so they must be consulted about solutions. Strategy for health promotion and community engagement, for example, shall be developed with the community, and the ownership of it shall be left to them. The response must be adapted to the context, not the other way around. "— Emmanuel Massart
Meanwhile, DRC health officials are looking for some patients who are missing after the attacks — some with confirmed cases of Ebola and others suspected of being infected — who had been in the Butembo treatment center, Ilunga says.
"We are of course extremely worried. Health agents should never be the target of violence. They have the right to be safe when they are saving lives. We will have meetings over the next few days to see what are the best options to protect our health agents as well as prevent the spread of the virus despite this difficult environment."— Jessica Ilunga, DRC health ministry
Go deeper: