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The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has temporarily cancelled all passenger flights to and from Bunia, which is the epicentre of the latest Ebola outbreak.
According to the Ministry of Transport, no aircraft will be allowed to land or take off from the northeastern Ituri province capital airport; however, humanitarian, medical, and emergency flights will be allowed upon proper authorisation.
An Ebola outbreak was declared in Ituri on May 15, with Bunia becoming one of the main affected areas. The disease has since spread to neighbouring North Kivu and South Kivu provinces. Uganda, which borders Ituri, has also reported confirmed cases.
The update comes after frustrated residents burned down a second Ebola treatment centre.
As per initial reports, no one was injured, but as people fled the scene, 18 patients with suspected Ebola infection left the facility and are now unaccounted for.
The residents arrived at the clinic in the town of Mongbwalu on Friday night and set fire to a tent set up for suspected and confirmed Ebola cases.
World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Friday that the situation in the DRC is "deeply worrisome", citing 82 confirmed cases and seven confirmed deaths.
Moreover, he shared that the actual scale of the outbreak is believed to be significantly larger, with nearly 750 suspected cases and 177 suspected deaths.
