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  • 5 hours ago
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00:02Fears and frustrations over the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo are now spilling into the streets and
00:10turning violent.
00:11A temporary Ebola treatment center in the city of Wampara was set on fire Thursday after health officials refused to
00:19release the body of a young man who died from the virus to his family.
00:23The medical tents were set up to help contain the outbreak.
00:26Six patients were inside the facility at the time of the attack and have since been transferred to a hospital.
00:33Health officials say the incident exposes a deeper challenge in fighting Ebola, balancing safety measures with local customs surrounding death
00:41and burial.
00:42The bodies of Ebola victims can remain highly infectious, which means burials often have to be handled by specially trained
00:49teams wearing protective gear.
00:51That can clash with traditional practices, which frequently includes family members washing or touching the body and large gatherings of
01:00mourners.
01:01Health officials are also dealing with the second challenge, resources.
01:04CNN reports that some health experts and aid organizations say cuts to U.S. and international health funding have left
01:12frontline responders with fewer tools to track and contain the outbreak.
01:16The Trump administration has pushed back on claims that the response capacity has been weakened.
01:21The United Nations says there are now nearly 600 suspected cases and 148 deaths linked to the outbreak.
01:29World Health Organization officials believe the actual numbers are likely higher.
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