Nurse killed in attack during DRC Ebola response

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 27 Oct, 04:50 · Archive

A nurse has been killed and another health worker injured in an attack in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo while responding to the Ebola outbreak.

A nurse was killed and another health worker severely injured after being attacked while responding to an Ebola alert in the town of Bafwasende in DRC's eastern Tshopo province on Saturday. Sky News reports the attacker was a machete-wielding mob of young people.

The attack is the latest in a series targeting health workers and responders to the Ebola outbreak. More than 9,800 cases and more than 4,700 deaths have been recorded since the outbreak began in May, making it the deadliest Ebola outbreak in the country's history. Authorities say attacks on responders are hampering efforts to slow the outbreak.

Misinformation and distrust have complicated response efforts. The government's handling of the outbreak and chronic corruption have sown widespread distrust, with some dismissing Ebola as a hoax. Last month, a DRC politician was beaten to death in North Kivu after publicly defending the government's response to Ebola and calling on the public to obey response measures including social distancing and hand-washing.

How it is being reported

• Nurse treating Ebola patients killed by machete-wielding mobA nurse responding to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has been killed by a group of young people armed with machetes, officials have said.Sky News · 27 Oct, 02:56
• Attackers kill nurse, injure health worker responding to DRC Ebola caseThe attack in eastern Dr Congo is the latest on health workers and responders to the deadly Ebola outbreak.Al Jazeera · 26 Oct, 04:21

In this story: Democratic Republic of the Congo · Bafwasende · Tshopo · World Health Organization · Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus · Mohamed Yakub Janabi

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem