Beni Ebola centre opens doors to motorcycle taxi drivers to counter fear and attacks

The Ebola Treatment Center in Beni, the epicentre of the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, welcomed members of the Motorcycle Taxi Drivers' Association Platform on Wednesday in an effort to correct misconceptions about the facility and reduce the risk of attacks by local communities.

Dr. Jérémie Muhindo, who heads the Ebola response in Beni, said the visitors were taken through how patients are admitted and how caregivers, companions and family members come to check on the progress of their loved ones. He said the group was genuinely impressed by what they saw.

Judith Kavira, a member of the riders' platform, said the visit had allayed her concerns. She noted that although some had thought food was arriving late at the centre, the group saw a delivery arrive at 12:10 p.m. while they were on site, and they also observed patients and the areas where they can be received.

Among those who underwent a temperature check before entering was Josias Tengé-Tengé, an Ebola survivor who works as a motorcycle taxi driver. He urged fellow riders to protect themselves and to speak up when carrying a passenger who is ill and reluctant to seek hospital care, telling them that Ebola is real and that treatment can lead to recovery.

Health services in the region are under severe strain as it confronts the deadliest Ebola outbreak on record, which has killed more than 3,300 people and seen over 6,800 confirmed cases. Since May, health workers and burial teams have been attacked by bereaved families along the outbreak's front line, with at least a dozen assaults on facilities involved in Ebola care, driven largely by fear of the disease, misinformation and mistrust of health workers.