UDPS Official Beaten to Death After Ebola Talk as DRC Cases Top 8,000
Updated
Updated · Al Jazeera English · Sep 28
UDPS Official Beaten to Death After Ebola Talk as DRC Cases Top 8,000
3 articles · Updated · Al Jazeera English · Sep 28
Summary
Marie-Celestin Karondwa, acting head of the UDPS federal executive in Butembo, was beaten to death Sunday after discussing Ebola prevention measures on radio, according to Congolese authorities and his party.
8,067 Ebola cases and 3,901 deaths have been recorded in the DRC, and authorities say public mistrust and anger toward government measures are undermining efforts to contain the outbreak.
Butembo in North Kivu has become a hotspot, while health officials also reported low treatment capacity in Ituri and a complete shortage of an experimental Bundibugyo-strain vaccine stock in Tshopo.
Africa CDC said case growth has leveled off after a rapid rise but still considers the outbreak uncontrolled, with no approved vaccine or treatment yet for the Bundibugyo strain.
The WHO says the DRC's 17th Ebola outbreak is far from over and could surpass the 2014-2016 West Africa epidemic; the United States last week pledged another $267 million toward a $2 billion response target.