Nurse killed in attack on Ebola responders in eastern Congo, WHO says

A nurse has been killed and a health worker severely injured in an attack on responders to an Ebola alert in eastern Congo, the World Health Organization has said.

The attack took place on Saturday in Bafwasende, in the eastern province of Tshopo, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a post on X.

“Everyone working to protect communities from this deadly disease must be able to work in dignity and safety. Healthcare must always be protected,” Tedros said.

WHO regional director for Africa, Dr Mohamed Yakub Janabi, also condemned the attack, saying: “Misinformation and fear must never fuel violence.”

Local authorities have not yet commented on the attack or the suspects, AP reported.

The killing is the latest in a series of attacks on health workers responding to the outbreak, which AP described as the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak in the world, and which authorities say is hampering containment efforts.

Congo’s health ministry data cited by AP put the outbreak, which began in May, at more than 9,800 cases including more than 4,700 deaths, making it the deadliest Ebola outbreak in the country’s history.

Last month, a Congolese politician was beaten to death in North Kivu after publicly defending the government’s Ebola response, AP reported.

Sources: Associated Press via La Nacion | 1News