DRC: Nurse killed in Bafwasende while responding to an Ebola alert

A nurse was killed and another health worker was seriously injured on Saturday, October 24, 2026, in Bafwasende, in the Tshopo province of the northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, while the team was responding to an Ebola alert. The information was made public on Sunday, October 25, by the Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, reports Al Jazeera.

According to Radio Okapi, the UN radio station in the DRC cited by the Ghanaian media outlet MyJoyOnline, the attackers were local youths who accused the healthcare workers of contaminating water sources and spreading the virus. Local authorities have not yet commented on the attack or any potential suspects.

"Health is not a target"

Health personnel "must be able to perform their duties in safety and dignity," said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who extended his condolences to the nurse's family and colleagues. The WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr. Mohamed Yakub Janabi, wrote that "health is NOT a target" and called for misinformation and fear not to fuel violence.

This is not an isolated incident. In September 2026, a Congolese politician was beaten to death in North Kivu after publicly supporting the response effort. In May, residents set fire to tents in two health centers during two separate attacks that occurred within a week, Al Jazeera recalls. Teams have also been held hostage or threatened in various health zones.

Distrust with deep roots

This hostility does not come out of nowhere. Healthcare workers interviewed by Al Jazeera link it to a deep distrust of the state, fueled by the management of the epidemic and chronic corruption; some residents consider Ebola to be an invention. Added to this are the lack of medical equipment and staff shortages, particularly in remote areas and new hotspots.

Nearly 10,000 cases since May

The Congolese Ministry of Health recorded more than 9,800 cases and over 4,700 deaths since the start of the epidemic in May 2026, a toll that the BBC, cited by MyJoyOnline, placed at more than 4,800 deaths. It is the deadliest Ebola epidemic in the history of the DRC and the fastest in the world, according to Al Jazeera. The strain involved, Bundibugyo, has no approved vaccine or specific treatment.

Four countries are now affected, the widest geographical spread ever recorded for Ebola on the continent: two people who passed through Uganda have tested positive in Kenya and Nigeria. In its October 23 update, the WHO called for enhanced surveillance and cross-border cooperation, while advising against travel and trade restrictions against the affected countries.

Behind the statistics are women and men walking toward villages with a thermometer and a register. Protecting them is not just a matter of logistics: it is the condition for the response to exist.