Nurse killed and colleague wounded in attack on Ebola response team in Congo
A nurse was fatally shot and another health worker seriously injured during an assault on Ebola responders in Bafwasende, eastern Congo.
In Bafwasende, eastern Congo, attackers shot a nurse dead and left a second health worker severely wounded while the team responded to an Ebola alert. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and WHO Africa regional director Mohamed Yakub Janabi both denounced the attack, stressing that misinformation must not fuel violence. The Congo health ministry reports the outbreak has surpassed 9,800 infections and 4,700 fatalities, making it the deadliest in the country's history.
Previous incidents, including the killing of a politician in North Kivu for defending Ebola measures, illustrate growing community resistance. Uganda has responded by imposing a 21-day quarantine on returnees from Congo, amid concerns after cases linked to the country appeared in Kenya and Nigeria.
Why it matters
Violent attacks on health workers threaten Ebola containment and endanger public-health efforts across the region.
How this story developed
- Oct 10 Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo claims thousands of lives and spreads to Uganda
- Oct 16 A relative of Kenya's first Ebola patient tested positive while in quarantine.
- Oct 20 Nigeria confirmed its first Ebola case.
- Oct 21 The outbreak that began in the Democratic Republic of Congo in May has now reached Nigeria, marking the broadest geographic spread of Ebola.
- Oct 22 The Nigerian patient’s condition progressed to multi‑organ failure, prompting intensive care.
- Oct 23 Kenya records second Ebola fatality.
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