Akon accused of trying to avoid catching Ebola at gig by performing inside giant bubble

The deadly disease is ravaging parts of western Africa with over 3,000 people confirmed dead.

Akon was accused of crowd-surfing in Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo inside the bubble "to avoid contracting Ebola".

The Source accused the five-time Grammy nominee of using the inflatable device to isolate himself from any potential members of the audience carrying the virus.

"The Ebola virus is no joke," wrote The Source. "And to avoid contracting it from anybody, when Akon left the stage to crowd surf with the people that were attending his concert, he did so in a huge plastic protective bubble."

However fans of the man behind Smack That will know that the star has used the bubble at concerts on several previous occasions.

The 41-year-old, from Missouri, is hugely popular in Africa and runs a charity for underprivileged children called Konfidence Foundation.

Akon's performance was part of the UN's International Day of Peace.

The DR Congo has suffered years of violence and civil wars for much of the last 20 years.

Since the latest Ebola outbreak in west Africa six months ago, 42 people have died in DR Congo.

Over 3,000 people have died across the continent so far as a result of the disease.