'They said it isn't real': Ebola rumours fuel attacks on health workers

Daniel Uyirwoth Welo, a 27-year-old Red Cross volunteer, recounted a brutal assault where a crowd attacked him and three colleagues with spades and machetes as they tried to conduct a safe burial for an Ebola victim in Bunia, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The mob's actions were incited by rumors, circulating both locally and online, that the coffin was empty and that the Red Cross was only there to "get money."

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They grabbed me from behind and started punching me, hitting me with spades and machetes.

"No Ebola doesn't exist," some in the crowd proclaimed, according to Welo. This incident is one of at least 12 cases of community resistance to Ebola control measures identified by BBC Verify. These acts of defiance include attacks on treatment facilities, assaults on health workers, and repeated interference with safe burial procedures, all stemming from widespread misinformation.

The current Ebola outbreak, which began in mid-May, has infected over 1,750 people and claimed 600 lives, according to government data. False claims circulating in affected regions allege that Ebola is not real, that health workers intentionally infect people or harvest organs, and that the entire response is a scheme for financial gain. The true number of incidents is likely higher, as many may occur in remote areas and go unreported.

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No Ebola doesn't exist.

Most recently, on July 1, an Ebola treatment center in Bafwabango, Ituri province, was set ablaze. Local media reported a police officer died during clashes over the body of a suspected Ebola victim. Safe burials are a critical measure to prevent the spread of the virus, as bodies of victims can remain highly infectious. However, health officials state that misinformation is severely undermining these vital efforts, making containment increasingly challenging.

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to get money