A nurse has been killed and a health worker seriously injured in an attack while responding to an Ebola alert in Bafwasende, eastern Congo.
The incident took place on Saturday in Tshopo province and is the latest in a series of attacks on medical staff and responders. Authorities say the violence is hampering efforts to contain the world’s fastest-growing Ebola outbreak.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the World Health Organisation, condemned the attack. “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 in a post on X.
Dr Mohamed Yakub Janabi, the WHO’s regional director for Africa, also criticised the violence, saying: “Misinformation and fear must never fuel violence.”
Attacks hinder Ebola response in Congo
More than 9,800 cases and over 4,700 deaths have been recorded since the outbreak began in May, according to the latest figures from Congo’s health ministry. The outbreak is the deadliest in the country’s history.
Responders have faced scepticism from communities who dismiss Ebola as a hoax, while distrust of the government has been fuelled by its handling of previous outbreaks and chronic corruption.
The difficulties have been particularly acute in remote areas and emerging hotspots, where medical supplies and healthcare workers are already in short supply.
In October, a Congolese politician was beaten to death in North Kivu after publicly supporting the government’s Ebola response. He had urged people to follow measures including social distancing and handwashing.
Earlier, in May, two tents at health centres were set alight in separate attacks within one week as residents reacted angrily to the response.
