Medics ATTACKED by people in Ebola-infected village as outbreak spreads
MEDICS have been attacked by villagers while trying to oversee the safe burial of an Ebola victim.
By Rachel O’Donoghue
DailyStar.co.uk
5th October 2018
Two of the volunteers from the Red Cross were seriously injured in the attack that happened in a community in the North Kivu area of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
It comes as authorities and aid workers in the country desperately try to contain the latest outbreak of the deadly disease.
So far, at least 106 people have died after the first cases were reported in August.
The Red Cross said its workers have faced numerous incidents of anger from people resisting are burials of those who have died from the disease.
When a person dies from Ebola, it is necessary to properly bury their bodies as the corpses are still contagious.
But Congolese tradition is that mourners will often hug and touch the bodies of loved ones when they are laid to rest.
Dr Fatoumata Nafo-Traoré, the Red Cross regional director for Africa, said: “This is an awful reminder of the dangers that these volunteer safe and dignified burials teams face.
“While we categorically denounce the attack on our colleagues, we understand the fear and frustration that many communities in North Kivu feel right now.
“People are scared and there are many rumours circulating that only serve to heighten the sense of fear and distrust.”
WHO director general, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, warned of the struggle to contain the latest Ebola outbreak.
He told the United Nations security council: “Small but significant numbers of people refuse active follow-up, or refuse to be treated in the Ebola treatment units.
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