Hospital stormed, shooting, tent set on fire Ebola outbreak spreads - violence makes containment difficult
The Ebola virus continues to spread in Congo and Uganda and the situation on the ground remains tense. According to reports, a hospital has been stormed, tents belonging to Doctors Without Borders have been set on fire and several people suspected of being infected have fled.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- The WHO has declared an international health emergency due to the Ebola outbreak in Congo.
- In Uganda, new cases and attacks on clinics are exacerbating the situation.
- The first suspected cases were also reported in Europe among returnees from the region - however, both people tested negative.
In mid-May, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a public health emergency of international concern due to an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Since then, around 91 infections have been confirmed, more than 900 others are suspected cases and 204 people have died.
Neighboring Uganda is also affected. The health authorities reported two new cases on Monday, bringing the number of confirmed infections to seven. The country is not providing information on suspected cases. Health ministers from the region met in the capital Kampala at the weekend to discuss a coordinated approach.
Tense situation on the ground
The situation on the ground continues to worsen. The WHO warns that the epidemic could get out of control. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus explained that the virus is spreading faster than countermeasures can take effect.
The situation is particularly tense in the north-eastern city of Mongbwalu. An angry crowd stormed a hospital there on Sunday evening and demanded the release of two corpses, during which shots were fired. A Doctors Without Borders tent had already been set on fire and a clinic in Rwampara attacked.
The violence is making containment considerably more difficult. At least 18 people suspected of being infected have fled from treatment centers and many of the dead have been taken away by relatives. Experts warn that Ebola deaths are highly contagious and traditional burial rituals pose a major risk.
Two Italians with symptoms in hospital in Milan
Two Italians who had been in Uganda for several months on humanitarian missions have been treated in a hospital in Milan on suspicion of Ebola.
According to several media reports, they are a 31-year-old man and a two-year-old woman. Virological tests were carried out on both patients in the laboratory of the Sacco Hospital in Milan. The test was ultimately negative.
They also tested negative for malaria and the most common respiratory infections. This was announced by the Lombardy Regional Council for Social Affairs and Health, Guido Bertolaso. A "bacterial infection of the gastrointestinal tract" is currently suspected.
The two patients recently showed symptoms that could also be consistent with an Ebola infection, including high fever, nausea, vomiting and gastrointestinal complaints.
No danger in Europe
Generally speaking, the Ebola virus is unlikely to spread widely in Europe. Although individual cases among returning travelers - as is currently the case in Italy - cannot be completely ruled out, major outbreaks in countries with well-developed healthcare systems are "extremely unlikely", according to Fabian Leendertz from the Helmholtz Institute, reports DPA.