Although the Ebola virus has already sickened almost 6,000 people in West Africa, according to the World Health Organization, religious traditions are still one of the most important aspects of life.
The Red Cross came to southeastern Guinea yesterday to collect dead bodies in the area that were likely infected with the Ebola virus. The team of Red Cross volunteer workers was attacked with rocks and their cars were vandalized because the volunteers weren't handling the bodies in accordance with the religious rules and standards in the area, The Associated Press reports.
During the attacks, one Red Cross member was wounded by a rock hitting his neck and is currently recovering, AP says.
In Muslim tradition, the dead body is supposed to be washed down by a loved one before the burial. However, Ebola is most contagious after an infected person dies because of the fluids the body emits after death.
The volunteers were initially attacked by the families of the dead that were being improperly buried in accordance to the deeply held beliefs in the region, AP reports. The small group of family members eventually turned into a crowd that proceeded to throw rocks at the regional health office building where the Red Cross workers were staying.
This was not the first stone attack in the area against people trying to help in the Ebola epidemic.
A team of nine people were attacked with rocks in Guinea who were trying to educate locals about the risks of the virus, HNGN reported yesterday. Eight people died in that attack.
