Ebola outbreak tests faith as Bunia worshippers defy mass ban

Catholic worshippers on Sunday gathered for Mass at a church in Bunia, at the heart of a rapidly spreading Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, despite a ban on gatherings of more than 50.

Church deacon Venasse Ngabo administered hand sanitizer to Mass attendees and others washed their hands at stations set up at the front gate.

"We require (hand washing) because we have learned that there is an Ebola epidemic in our city and that it has already killed many of our Christian brothers and sisters,” said Ngabo.

The ban on large gatherings, which includes mass and burials, was one measure meant to contain the outbreak, which had already spread undetected for weeks before the outbreak was confirmed on May 15.

But some faithful said they needed the church to get through this period of difficulty.

“We are aware of the illness and we are doing our best to protect ourselves. But we cannot ignore God's presence in our lives. That is why we have come to pray here,” said Jacob Ngasha.

Roland Safari, wearing a mask, said he supported preventive measures.

“That's why, as you see me, even with this face mask, we have sinks here and there. We must also maintain social distancing,” he said.

Health authorities have faced resistance from the population during this outbreak, with two of the three Ebola treatment centers having been burned by local residents, and safe burials facilitated by the Red Cross now carried out under military and police escort.

Funerals in particular are dangerous, as the bodies of people who have died from Ebola are extremely infectious.

The World Health Organization has said that the outbreak now poses a “very high” risk for Congo — up from a previous categorization of “high” — but that the risk of the disease spreading globally remains low.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Friday that 82 cases and seven deaths have been confirmed in DRCongo, but that the outbreak is believed to be much larger.

There is no available vaccine for the Bundibugyo virus, a rare type of Ebola, which spread undetected for weeks in Congo’s Ituri province following the first known death, while authorities tested for another, more common, Ebola virus and came up negative.