How Ebola misinformation is fuelling violent attacks against health workers

A significant story is unfolding on the international scene. How Ebola misinformation is fuelling violent attacks against health workersByMarco Silva, Verify and Peter Mwai, VerifyPublished26 minutes ago"They grabbed me from behind and started punching me, hitting me with spades and machetes," says Daniel Uyirwoth Welo, one of four Red Cross volunteers injured when a crowd tried to open a coffin carrying someone who had died from Ebola. The 27-year-old and his colleagues were attempting to carry out a safe burial at a cemetery in Bunia, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, last month when they were attacked. The assault was triggered by rumours - circulating locally and online - that the coffin was empty.

Some in the crowd said, "No Ebola doesn't exist," Welo told Verify, adding that others believed the Red Cross team was there only "to get money". The attack is one of a series of incidents linked to misinformation during the latest Ebola outbreak, which has infected more than 1,700 people and killed 580 in DR Congo since mid-May, according to government data. False claims circulating in affected areas include allegations that Ebola doesn't exist, that health workers are deliberately infecting people or harvesting their organs, and that the Ebola response is a money-making scheme.

The Details

Image source, XImage caption, Daniel Uyirwoth Welo is seen wearing blue scrubs running through a crowd of people as they start to chase himBBC Verify identified 12 cases of community resistance to Ebola control measures, seven of which we have been able to verify using social media footage. These include attacks on treatment facilities, assaults on health workers, and repeated attempts to interfere with safe burial procedures for people who died from the disease. The true number is likely to be higher as incidents may happen in remote areas and go unreported.

Most recently, on 1 July, people set fire to an Ebola treatment centre in Bafwabango, Ituri province, the epicentre of the outbreak. Local media reported that a police officer was killed following clashes over the body of a person suspected to have died from the virus. Ebola spreads through direct contact with infected bodily fluids and victims' bodies can remain highly infectious after death.

Health workers had wanted to bury the victim safely - though this measure has repeatedly faced resistance during the outbreak amid baseless claims that Ebola is not real. What is Ebola and why is stopping the latest outbreak so difficult? Published1 JulyEbola treatments trial begins in DR Congo Published5 days ago'I buried my parents one day after the other' - Ebola mourners learn how to grieve safely Published18 JuneThe current outbreak is linked to the Bundibugyo species.

While there is still no approved vaccine or treatment for this species, the World Health Organisation (WHO) says a trial has begun of two potential treatments - though experts caution that it could take months to complete.

The story has become one of the most prominent items on the global agenda.