Congolese journalist covering Ebola virus in Congo killed at home

AKIPRESS.COM - A Congolese journalist who had been raising awareness about the Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo has been killed at his home. The army said unidentified attackers raided Papy Mumbere Mahamba's home in Lwebma, in the north-eastern province of Ituri, killing him, wounding his wife and burning their house down, BBC reports.
DR Congo is experiencing the world's second-worst Ebola epidemic on record.
People working to stop the virus are often targeted.
The BBC World Service's Africa editor Will Ross says over the past year there have been dozens of attacks on health centres and on people working to stop Ebola.
The violence is thought to be fuelled by the belief among many people that the virus is not real, which can lead to mistrust of those working in the sector.
When medics call for people to forgo traditional rites to ensure safe burials, for example, it can create animosity. Some people even feel Ebola is a hoax created by medics to get well-paid jobs.