A nurse was killed and another health worker severely injured in the attack, according to the World Health Organization. It took place on Saturday in the town of Bafwasende in the DRC's eastern Tshopo province, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a post on X on Sunday. "Everyone working to protect communities from this deadly disease must be able to work in dignity and safety. Healthcare must always be protected," he said.
The WHO's regional director for Africa, Dr Mohamed Yakub Janabi, also condemned the attack on X. "Health is NOT a target," he wrote. "Those responding to the Ebola outbreak must be protected. Misinformation and fear must never fuel violence."
Data from the DRC's Ministry of Health indicate more than 9,800 cases, including more than 4,700 deaths, have been recorded since the outbreak began in May, making it the deadliest Ebola outbreak in the country's history. Responders say scepticism among communities, with some dismissing Ebola as a hoax, has complicated their efforts, including in remote areas and emerging hotspots already facing shortages of medical supplies and healthcare workers.
Last month, a DRC politician was beaten to death in North Kivu after publicly defending the government's Ebola response. In May, residents set alight two tents at health centres in two separate attacks in one week. Responders say some residents have held captive or threatened team members in designated health zones.
The current outbreak has been reported in four countries across eastern, central and western Africa, the widest geographic spread of any Ebola outbreak on the continent to date. On Sunday, Uganda's Health Minister Chris Baryomunsi announced that all citizens returning to Uganda with a history of travel to the DRC will be quarantined for 21 days. Uganda declared an end to its own outbreak in July, but two people who recently passed through the country later tested positive in Kenya and Nigeria.
Ebola spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected people. The strain responsible for the current outbreak, known as Bundibugyo, has no approved vaccine or specific treatment, and symptoms can take up to 21 days to appear. In an October 23 update, the WHO urged stronger monitoring and cooperation across borders, while advising against restrictions on travel or trade with affected countries.