A village chief in eastern Congo faces a tough battle against Ebola BENI, Congo -- After each of his relatives got Ebola and became sick, Alphonse bin Kitobi Achou Taibo would scramble to get them to the nearest hospital in eastern Congo, but they accused him of taking them there to die and refused to go. The chief of Bapakombe-Bakondo was in despair. His village lies on the outskirts of the city of Beni in North Kivu province, a major hot spot in what has been the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak.
Eleven other members of his extended family also contracted Ebola but survived after he took them to the hospital. The biggest enemy he was facing, Achou Taibo said, was the prevailing mistrust in this part of the country, where many compare Ebola to poison and some local pastors even associate it with evil spirits. That prejudice has hampered efforts to persuade people to report symptoms and accept care in communities that have endured years of violence and repeated outbreaks.
The outbreak in eastern Congo, declared in May, is caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus for which there is no approved vaccine or treatment. Response teams have been battling armed conflict, poor roads and violence from residents fueled by mistrust and misinformation. This week, the outbreak surpassed 10,000 confirmed cases, with over 4,800 deaths, according to data from Congo’s Ministry of Health.
At the same time, health officials are racing to contain the spread of the disease elsewhere in Africa. It has already spread to four other countries, including two where it’s active. When one of Achou Taibo’s cousins died in August, one of the village's traditional medicine clinics blamed poisoning for the death.
Another cousin, 27-year-old Zawadi Kavira Musubao, fell ill during the funeral. Again, poisoning, the clinic said. A traditional healer there prepared a potion he claimed would expel poison from the body, but it ended up worsening her condition, said Musubao, who later recovered from Ebola.
After Achou Taibo’s cousin died, an uncle died as well. The traditional clinic said they had arrived too late for help. He finally managed to take all his other sick relatives to Beni's General Reference Hospital, where tests confirmed Ebola.
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