GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo — Health authorities in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo continued searching on Thursday for a six-year-old Ebola patient and her mother after armed men removed them from a treatment facility, raising concerns about further transmission during the country’s worsening Ebola outbreak.
The child, who had tested positive for Ebola, and her mother were taken from a health center near Butembo in North Kivu province late on Monday, according to a provincial notice seen by Reuters. Authorities said assailants armed with bladed weapons entered the facility and removed the pair. The motives of the attackers and their identities remain unclear.
Health officials said efforts to locate the two individuals were ongoing. “Until now we have not yet found the two people we are searching for,” Dr. Lubambo Maboko Gaston, the Ebola response incident manager in North Kivu, told Reuters. “We are making a solemn appeal for them to go as soon as possible to an Ebola treatment centre, as their return to the community risks worsening their health and, above all, infecting their relatives.”
No medical staff were injured during the incident, according to Lubambo, who said the health center was not under military or police protection at the time of the attack. The incident has highlighted continuing security challenges facing health workers in eastern Congo, where violence and distrust of medical authorities have complicated efforts to contain the outbreak.
The attack follows a series of security incidents involving Ebola response teams. Earlier this month, health officials reported assaults on burial teams and treatment operations in affected provinces. Aid agencies and public health authorities have said community resistance and insecurity have disrupted contact tracing, patient isolation and safe burial procedures.
The current outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, was declared in May. The World Health Organization has described the situation as a major public health challenge, citing difficulties in tracking infections across conflict-affected areas of eastern Congo. Officials have warned that gaps in surveillance and delayed reporting may obscure the full scale of the outbreak.
According to government data reported this week, North Kivu is the second-most affected province after Ituri. Nationally, authorities have reported hundreds of confirmed cases and nearly two hundred deaths, although health organizations have cautioned that figures may change as investigations continue.
As of Thursday, authorities said the child and her mother had not been located. Health officials continued appeals for their return to medical care while tracing potential contacts linked to the incident. Details about the attackers and any ongoing investigation remain unclear.
