Unable to send disease fighters to help battle one of the deadliest Ebola outbreaks in history, U.S. health officials are turning to basketball hall of famer Dikembe Mutombo for help. Mutombo, regarded as one of the greatest defensive players in NBA history and a well-known philanthropist in his native
1 / 2Mutombo EbolaFILE - In this Aug. 1, 2018, file photo, Dikembe Mutombo speaks during the opening ceremony of Basketball without Borders Africa in Johannesburg, South Africa. U.S. health officials are turning to a basketball hall of famer for help in one of the deadliest Ebola outbreaks in history. Dikembe Mutombo is regarded as one of the greatest defensive players in NBA history and is a well-known philanthropist in his native Congo.
About 2,100 people have been reported ill — and nearly 1,500 have died — since an Ebola outbreak was declared in August in eastern Congo. It is the second deadliest outbreak of the lethal virus, which jumps from person to person quickly through close contact with bodily fluids. "Someone who doesn't look like you, who doesn't think like you, who is not from your village, who is from other places, just walk to your village with a nice beautiful white truck and telling you ... 'inject this chemical into your body to protect you from this deadly virus.' That's where there's a fight. This is where we're having a conflict," he said.
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