The nightmare is over for a six-year-old Ebola patient snatched from a hospital in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The child was abducted on Monday night from an isolation ward in Butembo, a city at the epicentre of the second deadliest Ebola outbreak in history. But today, aid workers confirmed the boy was found alive and well, reunited with his mother.
The kidnapping had sparked fears that the outbreak, which has already killed over 600 people, could spiral further out of control. Armed men stormed the hospital, overpowered guards and fled with the child. For two days, the region held its breath.
The child had been receiving treatment for Ebola, a disease that has ravaged communities already mistrustful of foreign medics. The abduction highlighted the dangerous cocktail of violence and disease in eastern Congo, where militia groups and local hostility to aid workers have hampered efforts to contain the virus. The boy’s safe return is a relief, but the scars remain.
The attack forced the suspension of some health programmes and deepened the sense of fear among medics who risk their lives daily. The outbreak, declared in August, has already been complicated by clashes between armed groups and a strike by health workers. This incident shows how a single act of violence can unravel weeks of progress.
The child is now back in care, but the fight against Ebola continues. For every child saved, there are families torn apart by a disease that thrives where trust is broken.
