Nurse Killed, Health Worker Severely Injured in Attack While Responding to Ebola Alert in Congo, WHO Says

Since the outbreak began in May, data from Congo's Ministry of Health show more than 9,800 Ebola cases and more than 4,700 deaths. It is the deadliest Ebola outbreak in the country's history. The newest violence came Saturday.

A nurse was killed and another health worker severely injured in Bafwasende, a town in eastern Tshopo province, while responding to an Ebola alert. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced the attack 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," Tedros wrote.

Dr. Mohamed Yakub Janabi, the WHO's regional director for Africa, also condemned the attack on X. "Health is NOT a target," he said. "Those responding to the Ebola outbreak must be protected. Misinformation and fear must never fuel violence."

Local authorities have not yet commented on the attack or the suspects.

A pattern, not a one-off

This is the latest in a series of attacks on health workers and responders that authorities say is hampering efforts to slow the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak in the world. At the start of the outbreak in May, angry residents set fire to tents at health centers in two separate attacks in the span of one week.

Responders say some members of response teams have been held captive in some health zones. Teams responsible for safe and dignified burials have been threatened.

Last month a Congolese politician was beaten to death in North Kivu province after publicly defending the government's response to Ebola. He had been calling on the public, on a radio show, to obey response measures, particularly social distancing and handwashing.

That killing came after authorities launched a village-centered approach to fight the outbreak, which faced resistance from some residents who dismiss Ebola as a hoax.

Distrust the government earned

The skeptics have a history to point to. There is widespread distrust of Congo's government because of how it has managed past Ebola outbreaks, as well as chronic corruption.

That distrust does not excuse killing a nurse. It does help explain why public-health messages from officials land badly in the places where the virus is spreading. Responders say skepticism about the disease among communities has complicated efforts to work with residents, including in remote areas and emerging hot spots that already face shortages of medical supplies and healthcare workers.

The WHO's regional director says misinformation and fear must never fuel violence. No one has yet said who carried out Saturday's attack.

The outbreak keeps moving

The case count keeps climbing. An earlier ministry count put the total at 9,066 confirmed cases and 4,381 deaths. The figure has since passed 9,800 cases and 4,700 deaths.

Africa CDC warned that Ebola is still spreading through Congo. It said cases have declined in the original outbreak region of Ituri province, while more infections are being found in the neighboring provinces of North Kivu and Haut-Uele.

The United Nations expressed alarm that the Kigonze camp in Ituri, which temporarily housed thousands of displaced people, had been entirely emptied, scattering its population during an uncontrolled Ebola outbreak.

The virus has also crossed borders. The outbreak has been reported in four countries across eastern, central and western Africa. Kenya has announced a second Ebola death and says there is no evidence of community spread. Uganda has ordered a 21-day quarantine for citizens returning from Congo.

On the medical side, the WHO has announced the start of an Ebola vaccine clinical trial in Congo. The strain responsible for the outbreak, Bundibugyo, has no approved vaccine or specific treatment.

What comes next

Africa CDC has scheduled an "extraordinary virtual meeting" for Oct. 28 to discuss the spreading outbreak.

Local authorities have not yet commented on Saturday's attack or the suspects.