9,800 Ebola cases recorded as DRC nurse killed in Bafwasende
WHO confirms a nurse died and a colleague was wounded during an attack in Tshopo province, while Uganda mandates 21-day quarantine for returnees.
By Owen Turner ·
The World Health Organization confirmed that one nurse died and another health worker sustained serious injuries during an attack in Bafwasende. The incident occurred on Saturday in the eastern province of Tshopo in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced the news on X on Sunday. He stated that everyone working to protect communities from the disease must be able to work in dignity and safety.
The violence marks the latest escalation in a conflict that has persisted since May. At the start of the outbreak, residents in North Kivu set fire to tents at two health centres within a single week. Last month, a local politician was beaten to death after using a radio show to defend government health measures. Authorities noted that such incidents slow containment efforts for what is described as the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak globally.
DRC Ministry of Health data shows the toll has risen to more than 9,800 confirmed cases. Over 4,700 people have died, making this the deadliest Ebola outbreak in the country's history. Government handling of the crisis and chronic corruption have fueled distrust among the public. Some residents have dismissed the virus as a hoax, complicating work in remote areas and emerging hotspots that lack medical supplies.
The outbreak has expanded across eastern, central, and western Africa. It is now the widest geographic spread of any Ebola outbreak on the continent. On Sunday, Uganda's Minister of Health Chris Baryomunsi announced that all citizens returning from the DRC will undergo a 21-day quarantine. Uganda declared its own outbreak over in July, but two people who passed through the country recently tested positive in Kenya and Nigeria.
The strain causing the current outbreak is Bundibugyo. No approved vaccine or specific treatment exists for this strain. Symptoms can take up to 21 days to appear after exposure. The WHO released an update on October 23 calling for stronger monitoring and cross-border cooperation. The agency advised against travel or trade restrictions on affected countries.
Local authorities in the DRC have not yet commented on the Bafwasende attack or identified any suspects. Dr Mohamed Yakub Janabi, the WHO regional director for Africa, condemned the violence on X. He said health is not a target and that misinformation and fear must not fuel violence against responders.
Source: Al Jazeera
