In brief
A nurse working on an Ebola alert in north‑eastern Democratic Republic of Congo was killed, and a second health worker was seriously injured when they were attacked by local youths who claimed the workers had contaminated water sources. The World Health Organization condemned the assault and appealed for the safety of health workers. Uganda has banned all non‑essential travel to and from the DRC and will quarantine returning citizens for 21 days, while Kenya and Nigeria have reported their first confirmed cases linked to the outbreak. The outbreak has already claimed more than 4,800 lives and infected nearly 10,000 people since it began in May.
A nurse was killed and another health worker seriously injured in an attack by local youths while trying to respond to an Ebola alert in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The attack, reported by Radio Okapi, targeted the workers after the youths accused them of contaminating local water supplies and spreading the deadly virus. The World Health Organization has condemned the assault and called for the protection of frontline medical staff.
Facing the risk of further transmission, neighbouring Uganda has banned all non‑essential travel to and from the DRC and will quarantine returning citizens for 21 days. The country has set strict screening for any essential travellers crossing its borders.
Since the outbreak began in May, the DRC has recorded over 4,800 deaths and nearly 10,000 infections. The WHO Director‑General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, urged that health workers be allowed to perform their duties safely and with dignity.
This incident is not the first violence against health personnel in the DRC: last month a politician was beaten to death for promoting Ebola prevention, and earlier this year Red Cross volunteers were injured and an ambulance set ablaze during multiple violent incidents.
Meanwhile, the first cases of Ebola in Kenya and Nigeria—linked to the DRC outbreak—have raised additional regional concern. The Nigerian patient, a Ugandan‑born wife of a Swiss diplomat, was flown to Switzerland for treatment, while a Kenyan businessman died shortly after arrival in Nairobi.
Uganda’s Health Minister Chris Baryomunsi said the new measures aim to keep the country free of Ebola and that vigilance remains essential given ongoing cross‑border trade and family ties.
