Gunmen took a woman and her daughter from a health center in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, authorities said on Tuesday, raising fears of a further spread of the Ebola virus.
The attackers, armed with knives, broke into a clinic near Butembo, in North Kivu province, on Monday night (15), and took the two women, according to a provincial statement seen by Reuters. The statement did not identify the attackers or reveal their motives.
The statement said the six-year-old child had tested positive for Ebola.
The incident highlights how insecurity and health care workers are hampering efforts to contain the outbreak in eastern DR Congo, where attacks on medical and response teams have hampered efforts to trace contacts and isolate suspected cases.
“To date, we have not yet found the two people we are looking for. We are making a solemn appeal for them to go to an Ebola treatment center as quickly as possible, as their return to the community risks worsening their health condition and, above all, infecting their family members,” Dr. Lubambo Maboko Gaston, Ebola response manager in North Kivu, told Reuters.
Lubambo said no health workers were injured in the attack, adding neither the health center nor the police.
The episode comes amid a spate of Ebola outbreaks in eastern Congo, including recent attacks on safe burial teams and treatment centers in neighboring Ituri province.
North Kivu has so far recorded 67 confirmed cases and 38 deaths, according to government data released on Tuesday, making it the second most affected province after Ituri, which accounts for more than 90% of cases.
Nationally, the outbreak has already infected 837 people and caused 196 deaths, according to government data.
