A politician is said to have been beaten to death after speaking about the Ebola outbreak on the radio.
Marie-Celestin Karondwa, the acting president of the UDPS party in the Democratic Republic of Congo, was reportedly attacked in his neighbourhood after the radio show.
The politician had promoted disease prevention measures to tackle the spread of Ebola shortly before being attacked, his party said.
Karondwa was based in Butembo, northeastern DRC, which has recently become a hotspot for the deadly disease during an outbreak that has killed almost 4,000 people across the country.
According to the UDPS party, he was beaten and had his belongings stolen before his house was set on fire, Reuters reports.
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Karondwa later succumbed to his injuries.
Neither the party nor law enforcement officials have confirmed how many suspected attackers were involved or who they were.
The UDPS federation in Butembo said the politician was an ‘innocent victim for having defended the party’s position on the existence of the Ebola virus disease […] and the threat it poses to the population.’
While it is unclear what the motive was behind the alleged beating, violence against Ebola response teams and health facilities is not uncommon in DRC.
Misinformation and false claims about the disease have fuelled attacks, including unfounded claims that Ebola is not real.
Rioters have previously set fire to isolation tents in Rwampara after the family of a young man was prevented from taking his body away due to fears he died of Ebola.
The most recent outbreak was declared on May 15.
Since then, Ebola cases linked to the latest Bundibugyo strain have surged to more than 8,000 in the DRC, according to the latest government figures.
The country’s public health body has recorded 8,067 cases and 3,901 deaths, giving the outbreak a fatality rate of 48.4%.
Vaccines against Bundibugyo are being trialled, but there is currently no approved treatment.
And while cases appear to be plateauing, the outbreak is by no means under control, officials have warned.
What is Ebola?
The disease, caused by the Ebola virus, sometimes known as Ebola haemorrhagic fever, is a rare but severe and often fatal illness that can affect humans and primates.
It is transmitted to people from wild animals and spreads in the human population through human-to-human transmission.
The average fatality rate is around 50%. Case fatality rates have varied from 25% to 90% in past outbreaks.
Ebola spreads through human-to-human transmission via direct contact such as through broken skin or mucous membranes.
A person infected with Ebola cannot spread it until they develop symptoms.
US President Donald Trump asked about the Ebola outbreak during a White House press conference.
Verás, who had recently travelled to Congo, said that while the disease is ‘under control’, according to the WHO director, ‘the country still needs some help fighting Ebola.’
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