Rising violence affects Ebola response in DR Congo

UN humanitarians on Thursday expressed deep concern over escalating violence affecting the Ebola response in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).



The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that an incident reportedly involving armed men occurred near an Ebola treatment center in Nyankunde, Ituri province on Wednesday, with no patients or health workers injured. Care services resumed Thursday morning for four critically ill Ebola patients.



The worsening security situation has forced several humanitarian partners involved in the Ebola response to temporarily relocate staff to Ituri's capital Bunia. Access to the treatment center and surrounding communities remains constrained, OCHA said.



As of Tuesday, the DRC's health authorities reported 2,073 confirmed Ebola cases across five provinces. Ituri remains the epicenter of the outbreak, accounting for nearly 90 percent of all confirmed cases, said the office.