A six‑year‑old Ebola girl rescued after armed raid

In a tense incident in Butembo, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, armed men seized a child and her mother from a local hospital. The two were later found at a treatment centre eight kilometres away, where they were admitted and subsequently released to the care of local health staff.

"The girl is now doing well," said Dr Lubambo Gaston, a local health officer. According to him, the patient’s condition was stable when the child and her mother returned to the centre on 18 June. The episode is part of a string of violent attacks on Ebola facilities in the region.

The outbreak, which began in early May, has now confirmed more than 890 cases and 230 deaths. It is caused by the Bundibugyo strain, for which no vaccine is yet available. WHO officials describe the crisis as "evolving so fast" and have pledged US$3.9 million to help control the spread.

Local health authorities are strengthening surveillance and contact‑tracing in the provinces of Ituri, South Kivu and North Kivu, the most affected areas. The violence surrounding treatment centres and fear of funeral‑related transmission has made it hard to maintain effective containment, according to a local politician who warned that many people think Ebola is a fabricated disease.

Despite recent attacks, the number of reported cases has begun to ease. Africa CDC and the US CDC have warned of the potential for the outbreak to become the largest ever in this region if conflict and insecurity persist.

For more detailed coverage, see the full BBC Africa analysis What is Ebola and why stopping the latest outbreak is difficult?, and the surrounding series on related incidents in the region.