By Ebuka Onyekwelu, Ph.D
Relatives of victims of the Ebola virus in Congo have destroyed a hospital in the Ituri province of eastern Congo, after officials refused to hand the remains of their relatives killed by the virus to them for burial.
The violent incident was recorded in the town of Rwampara and was the first of its kind since the recent outbreak of the Ebola virus in Congo, which has led to the death of over one hundred and fifty people.
As the relatives of those killed by the Ebola virus approached the hospital to recover the bodies of their relatives, they could not, and things escalated fast, leading to arson. Meanwhile, law enforcement tried to put out the fire, but the damage was already far gone.
Ebola virus is a dangerous and deadly infection that, if the bodies of the dead are not properly handled as prescribed by specialists, can then become a serious source of spreading the virus. Therefore, it is unclear if the relatives asking for the remains of their family members understand the danger in such a request, both to themselves and their entire community.
