Clashes Erupt Over Ebola Victim's Body; Death Toll Surpasses 180 in One Month

Health officials block residents as they attempt to move a coffin containing a body.

A scuffle breaks out between officials in protective gear and the residents as the officials try to take the coffin away.

Tear gas is fired at the resisting residents, followed by the sound of loud gunfire.

The health officials quickly carry the coffin out and flee the village under police escort.

The incident occurred because residents opposed the burial procedures mandated by health authorities for a suspected Ebola virus victim.

Since the Ebola outbreak was declared in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on May 15, the cumulative number of confirmed cases has exceeded 800, with the death toll surpassing 180 over the past month.

[Resident of the Democratic Republic of the Congo: We don't know how to deal with this, and we haven't even received any public education on safety measures. That is why we have no way to cope right now.]

Notably, on June 13, the number of confirmed cases rose by 72 in a single day, marking the highest daily increase.

The number of deaths also saw its highest daily increase, with 32 fatalities recorded in one day.

The number of locations with confirmed cases in the DRC has risen to 31, and in neighboring Uganda, 14 confirmed cases and 2 deaths have been reported so far.

The issue is that the strain of the Ebola virus currently spreading is the Bundibugyo strain, for which no vaccine has yet been developed.

The current fatality rate of the Ebola virus in the DRC is 23.1%, but it is gradually rising toward the 30% average fatality rate of the Bundibugyo strain.

Doctors Without Borders issued a statement yesterday (June 15), stating that the speed of the response to the Ebola virus is failing to keep pace with the rate of its spread, and that the actual number of confirmed cases is likely higher.

[Ronzama / Health Official in Nizi, DRC: In areas where there are no Ebola treatment centers or isolation centers, patients simply return to their communities and die.]

Over the past 50 years, 15,000 people have died from the Ebola virus in Africa.

In the DRC, a major outbreak that lasted for three years starting in 2018 resulted in 2,300 deaths.
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.