WHO confirms nurse death in Bafwasende Ebola response
A health worker was killed and another injured during an attack in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, bringing total confirmed cases to over 9,800.
By Liam Kaminski ·
The World Health Organization confirmed a nurse was killed in Bafwasende, Tshopo province, while responding to an Ebola alert. The attack occurred on Saturday and left another health worker seriously injured. Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced the incident on X on Sunday.
The DRC Ministry of Health reports more than 9,800 confirmed cases and over 4,700 deaths since the outbreak began in May. This makes it the deadliest Ebola outbreak in the country's history. The current strain is Bundibugyo, for which no approved vaccine or specific treatment exists.
Ghebreyesus wrote that healthcare workers must operate with dignity and safety. He stated that healthcare must always be protected. Dr. Mohamed Yakub Janabi, the WHO regional director for Africa, also criticized the violence. He said health is not a target and that fear and misinformation should not drive attacks on responders.
Local authorities have not yet commented on the incident or named suspects. Officials describe the outbreak as the fastest-growing in the world. Attacks on staff are slowing containment efforts. Widespread distrust of the government, fueled by corruption, has led some residents to dismiss the virus as a hoax.
This incident follows a pattern of violence against health teams. Last month, a politician in North Kivu was beaten to death after defending government measures on a radio show. In May, residents set fire to tents at two health centers within one week. Some team members have also been held captive or threatened in designated health zones.
The outbreak has spread to four countries across Africa, marking the widest geographic reach of any Ebola outbreak on the continent. Uganda announced on Sunday that citizens returning from the DRC will be quarantined for 21 days. This follows two positive cases in Kenya and Nigeria among people who had recently passed through Uganda.
The WHO advised against travel or trade restrictions on affected countries in an update on October 23. It called for stronger cross-border monitoring. Symptoms of Ebola can take up to 21 days to appear after exposure to infected bodily fluids.
Source: Al Jazeera
