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Traditional burial practices in some communities involve touching the bodies of the deceased, which can be highly contagious.The restrictions that health authorities have placed on such funerals, along with widespread misinformation asserting that the deadly virus isn't real, have angered some residents and led to attacks on health facilities.In Ituri's Nyakunde health zone, international partners supporting the Ebola response had to temporarily relocate after a July 15 attack on a hospital and a treatment center, sparked by a patient's death.Officials say the relocation of these partners, including Africa CDC and Mercy Corps, has disrupted surveillance, contact tracing and supplies.Dr. Delays in contact tracing, difficulties accessing affected areas, mistrust from communities and violence by armed groups and some residents have hampered the response, the Africa CDC said.The outbreak is mostly concentrated in eastern Congo's remote Ituri province, which accounts for nearly 90% of cases, but there have been others confirmed in five provinces, including one of the country's largest cities, Kisangani.Neighboring Uganda declared itself free of Ebola on Tuesday following the discharge of the country's last patient in mid-June.Ebola is rare but highly contagious and can be contracted via bodily fluids such as vomit, blood or semen.
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