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Ebola outbreak tied to over 130 deaths as US ‘leaning into’ response
Dr. Amesh Adalja, an expert in infectious diseases, has emphasized the urgent public health crisis unfolding in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, and South Sudan. While he assures that the risk to the United States remains minimal, he underscores the importance of a united international effort to address and eliminate the outbreak at its origin.
Tensions have escalated in the eastern Congo, as evidenced by an incident on Thursday when an Ebola treatment facility became the target of arson. The center, located in the heart of the outbreak, was set ablaze following confrontations between local residents and authorities over the handling of a suspected Ebola victim’s body.
A witness recounted to The Associated Press that the unrest began when local youths attacked Rwampara Hospital, trying to reclaim the body of a friend believed to have succumbed to Ebola. “The police attempted to defuse the situation, but their efforts fell short,” shared Alexis Burata, a student who witnessed the events. “In the chaos, the youths set fire to the facility. That’s how things unfolded,” he explained.
Reports from the AP indicated that individuals had broken into the hospital, setting fire to items within. A journalist on the scene also observed what seemed to be the remains of at least one suspected Ebola victim being incinerated inside the building.
The AP reported that people broke into the center and set fire to objects inside. A reporter also witnessed what appeared to be the body of at least one suspected Ebola victim being burned inside the facility.
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A security guard runs in front of an Ebola treatment center in flames in Rwampara, Congo, Thursday, May 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Dirole Lotsima Dieudonne)
The Alliance for International Medical Action (ALIMA) said two tents used to treat Ebola patients were set on fire at the hospital. The organization said six people were receiving treatment for Ebola at the center.
Patrick Muyaya, a government spokesperson for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, said medical care was continuing normally, and all six patients were accounted for.
He called for calm while condemning violence against health facilities and medical staff.
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Flames and smoke rise from an Ebola treatment center in Rwampara, Congo, Thursday, May 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Dirole Lotsima Dieudonne)
Deputy Senior Commissioner Jean Claude Mukendi, head of the public security department in Ituri Province, said the individuals who burned the tents did not understand the protocols surrounding Ebola burials.
The incident underscored growing tensions between health officials enforcing strict Ebola containment measures and local customs surrounding funerals and burial rites.
“His family, friends, and other young people wanted to take his body home for a funeral even though the instructions from the authorities during this Ebola virus outbreak are clear,” Mukendi said. “All bodies must be buried according to the regulations.”
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Charred hospital beds stand in a smoldering Ebola treatment center in Rwampara, Congo, Thursday, May 21, 2026, after it was set on fire by people angry at being stopped from retrieving a body, according to a witness and police. (AP Photo/Dirole Lotsima Dieudonne)
In its statement, ALIMA condemned the spread of “incorrect or unconfirmed information on social media and the internet,” warning that misinformation could fuel fear and mistrust toward health facilities.
The violent clash comes as Congolese health officials reported 160 suspected deaths and 671 suspected Ebola cases across two provinces in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The United Nations said earlier this week that neighboring Uganda had reported two cases, including one death.
The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak a public health emergency Sunday, and the U.S. issued an urgent travel warning for the DRC shortly afterward.
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Congolese police personnel and civilians stand near the burning Ebola treatment center, as aid agencies intensify efforts to contain a new Ebola outbreak involving the Bundibugyo strain outbreak, in Rwampara general hospital in Rwampara outside Bunia, Ituri province, Democratic Republic of Congo, May 21, 2026. (REUTERS/Gradel Muyisa Mumbere)
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said earlier this week he was “deeply concerned about the scale and speed of the epidemic.”
Officials said the outbreak was caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, a rarer variant for which existing vaccines may be less effective.
Nearly $4 million in emergency funding has been approved by the WHO to support national authorities responding to the outbreak.
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