Nurse dies in Bafwasende attack amid 9,800-case Ebola surge
WHO confirms a health worker was killed and another injured on Saturday in eastern DRC, where the outbreak has become the deadliest in the country's history.
By Jacob Miller ·
More than 9,800 cases of Ebola have been recorded in the Democratic Republic of the Congo since May, according to the Ministry of Health. The data includes over 4,700 deaths, making this the deadliest Ebola outbreak in the nation's history.
The toll rose further on Saturday when a nurse was killed and a second health worker was seriously injured in Bafwasende. The assault occurred while the staff were responding to an alert in Tshopo Province. World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced the incident in a post on X on Sunday.
Ghebreyesus stated that healthcare workers must operate in dignity and safety. He added that healthcare must always be protected. Mohamed Yakub Janabi, the WHO regional director for Africa, also condemned the violence on social media. He noted that misinformation and fear should not fuel attacks on responders. Local authorities have not yet commented on the attack or identified suspects.
Officials say repeated attacks on health workers are slowing containment efforts. The Bundibugyo strain causing the outbreak has no approved vaccine or specific treatment. Symptoms can take up to 21 days to appear, according to the WHO. Chronic corruption and government handling of the crisis have fueled distrust. Some residents have dismissed the virus as a hoax, complicating work in remote areas that lack supplies and staff.
Violence against health figures is not new in the region. Last month, a politician was beaten to death in North Kivu after defending government measures on a radio show. In May, residents burned tents at two health centers within a week of the outbreak's start. Responders report that some residents have also held team members captive in designated health zones.
The outbreak has spread to four countries across eastern, central, and western Africa. This marks the widest geographic spread of any Ebola outbreak on the continent. On Sunday, Uganda's Minister of Health Chris Baryomunsi announced that citizens returning from the DRC will be quarantined for 21 days. Two people who recently passed through Uganda later tested positive in Kenya and Nigeria.
On October 23, the WHO called for stronger monitoring and cross-border cooperation. The agency advised against imposing travel or trade restrictions on affected countries.
Source: Al Jazeera
