Protesters set fire to Ebola patients' tents after Congolese authorities refused to give them footballer's body
發佈日期: 2026-05-22 20:03
TVB News
Protesters set fire to tents for Ebola patients after Congolese authorities refused to give them the dead body of a victim they wanted to bury themselves, a beloved local footballer suspected to have died in the ongoing outbreak.
Meanwhile, the wife and four children of a US citizen infected with the Ebola virus have been brought to Berlin's Charite hospital.
Protesters set fire to tents for Ebola patients after Congolese authorities refused to give them the dead body of a victim they wanted to bury themselves, a beloved local footballer suspected to have died in the ongoing outbreak.
Police fired warning shots and tear gas to defuse the incident in Ituri province.
It took place in the town of Rwampara, which has been hit hard by the latest Ebola outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which there is no approved vaccine or treatment.
Bodies of Ebola victims are highly infectious after death and unsafe burials, in which family members handle the body without proper protective equipment, are a leading driver of transmission.
The Ebola treatment centre had only been holding the bodies of those suspected of dying of Ebola, and the main treatment centre remained inside Rwampara general hospital.
Despite the scene in the courtyard, healthcare workers continued to carry people suspected to be sick with Ebola into the hospital on stretchers.
Health officials believe the outbreak started weeks ago and say they haven't identified the source.
The outbreak has been declared a public health emergency of international concern by the World Health Organization and the death toll has risen to more than 130 with around 600 suspected cases.
Meanwhile, the wife and four children of a US citizen infected with the Ebola virus have been brought to Berlin's Charite hospital.
They were admitted to the university hospital's special isolation ward, the US Federal Ministry of Health said overnight.
This followed a request for assistance from US authorities.
The father, a doctor, had contracted the virus in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
According to reports, his family members had also been there previously and had most recently been symptom-free and tested negative.
