British medical workers in the Democratic Republic of Congo are scrambling to track down contacts of a confirmed Ebola case after an armed gang stormed a hospital in the eastern city of Goma, forcing patients and staff to flee. The attack, which occurred on Tuesday evening, has thrown a critical public health operation into disarray and raised fears of a wider outbreak.
The incident took place at the Goma General Hospital, where a 42-year-old woman had been diagnosed with the deadly virus. According to local officials, a group of armed men entered the facility, fired shots and looted equipment. The assault was widely reported to be linked to the ongoing conflict in the region, but the exact motive remains unclear. No casualties were reported, but the chaos allowed several patients to escape, including at least one suspected Ebola case.
Dr. James Mwamba, a British epidemiologist leading the response team, described the situation as “extremely challenging.” Speaking from Goma, he said: “We are dealing with a highly infectious disease in a conflict zone. The security incident has set back our tracing efforts by days. Every hour counts, and we are now racing against time to locate exposed individuals before they travel further.”
The World Health Organization has confirmed that the British team, part of a UK-funded rapid response unit, is working alongside Congolese health authorities to map the contacts of the index case. At least 70 people are believed to have been in close proximity to the patient before she was isolated. The patient’s husband and two children have already been placed in quarantine, but several neighbours and hospital visitors remain unaccounted for.
The attack is the latest blow to disease control efforts in eastern DR Congo, a region plagued by decades of armed violence. The Ebola virus, which causes severe haemorrhagic fever and has a fatality rate of up to 50 per cent, is a recurring threat. The current outbreak, declared in August, has already claimed 29 lives. Aid workers have long warned that insecurity hampers detection and containment.
For the local population, the stakes could not be higher. “People are terrified,” said a nurse who asked not to be named. “The hospital is supposed to be a safe place, but now even that is gone. If Ebola spreads because of this, it will be a disaster for poor families who cannot afford treatment.”
The British government has pledged an additional £5 million in emergency aid to support the response, including funding for mobile laboratories and community engagement teams. The Foreign Office confirmed that all British nationals involved in the mission are accounted for and safe. However, the incident raises serious questions about the viability of deploying foreign medical teams in active warzones.
As night falls over Goma, the search continues. Red Cross volunteers with megaphones move through the streets, urging anyone with symptoms to come forward. The clock is ticking. For the people of eastern Congo, the fight against Ebola is also a fight for survival in a land where violence and disease are never far apart.
