Ebola: Attackers kill nurse, injure health worker responding to case in DRC

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said that a nurse was killed and another health worker severely injured while responding to an Ebola alert in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

The attack occurred on Saturday in Bafwasende, a town in Tshopo Province in eastern DRC, according to WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus.

Mr Ghebreyesus disclosed the incident in a post on X on Sunday, expressing condolences to the family, colleagues and friends of the nurse and wishing the injured health worker a full recovery.

“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 Regional Director for Africa, Mohamed Janabi, also condemned the attack, saying those responding to the outbreak must be protected.

“Health is not a target,” Mr Janabi said on X. “Those responding to the Ebola outbreak must be protected. Misinformation and fear must never fuel violence.”

Response under pressure

The attack comes as DRC continues to battle the largest and deadliest phase of the current Bundibugyo virus disease outbreak.

WHO’s latest epidemiological update shows that DRC had recorded 9,964 confirmed cases and 4,841 deaths as of 24 October, with 2,670 recoveries. The outbreak has spread across multiple provinces and remains active in 66 health zones.

The scale of the outbreak has placed significant pressure on health workers and response teams working to identify cases, trace contacts, provide treatment and prevent further transmission.

The incident was the latest in a series of attacks targeting health workers and Ebola responders in the country, Al Jazeera reports.

The report cited responders who said scepticism about the disease, misinformation and fear in some communities have complicated response efforts, particularly in remote areas already facing shortages of medical supplies and healthcare workers.

The report also noted that residents in some affected areas have threatened or held response workers captive. In May, residents reportedly set fire to tents at two health centres in separate incidents.

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Regional spread

The outbreak, which was declared in DRC in May 2026, has also spread beyond the country.

WHO’s latest figures show nine confirmed cases and two deaths in Kenya, while Nigeria has recorded one confirmed imported case. Uganda recorded 20 confirmed cases and two deaths earlier in the outbreak, while France recorded one imported case.

Nigeria’s case was detected in Abuja on 20 October in a woman who had travelled to the country from Uganda. She was later medically evacuated to Switzerland alongside her husband, who was a contact.

WHO has continued to stress the importance of cross-border surveillance, rapid detection, contact tracing and infection prevention and control as the outbreak spreads across the region.