A nurse has been killed and another health worker severely injured in an attack while responding to an Ebola alert in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The attack happened on Saturday in Bafwasende town in the eastern Tshopo province, according to the World Health Organization.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus confirmed the incident in a post on X on Sunday, saying health workers must be allowed to work in dignity and safety and that healthcare must be protected.
The WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Mohamed Yakub Janabi, also condemned the attack, warning that misinformation and fear should never fuel violence.
The UN Senior Ebola Response Coordinator, Julien Harneis, described the killing as a loss to the Ebola response and called for a thorough investigation.
Local health officials said the nurse worked at the general hospital in Bafwasende and was attacked by youths with machetes and batons. The injured health worker is currently in hospital, while other health workers are sheltering at the hospital under police guard.
The incident comes as DR Congo battles its deadliest Ebola outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo virus, with over 9,800 cases and more than 4,700 deaths recorded since May, according to the health ministry.
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