BUTEMBO, Congo (AP) — A nurse was killed and a health worker seriously injured after being attacked while responding to an Ebola alert in Congo, according to the World Health Organization.
It is the latest in a series of attacks on health workers and responders that authorities say are hampering efforts to slow the spread of the virus. Ebola outbreak is fastest growing in the world.
The attack took place on Saturday in the town of Bafwasende, in the eastern province of Tshopo, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a message on X on Sunday.
“Everyone working to protect communities from this deadly disease must be able to work with dignity and safety. Health care must always be protected,” he said.
WHO Regional Director for Africa Dr Mohamed Yakub Janabi also condemned the attack on X. “Disinformation and fear must never fuel violence,” he said.
Local authorities have not yet commented on the attack or the suspects.
The most recent data from the country’s health ministry indicates that more than 9,800 cases, including more than 4,700 deaths, have been recorded since the outbreak began in May, making it the deadliest Ebola outbreak in Congo’s history.
Last month, a Congolese politician was beaten to death in North Kivu after publicly defending the government’s response to the crisis. Ebola. In a radio broadcast, he called on the public to respect response measures, including social distancing and hand washing.
This happened after the authorities launched a village-centered approach to fight the epidemic which has encountered resistance from some residents who consider Ebola a hoax. There is widespread distrust of the country’s government due to its handling of past Ebola outbreaks as well as chronic corruption.
Speakers say community skepticism of the disease has complicated efforts to work with residents, particularly in remote areas and emerging hot spots that already face shortages of medical supplies and health personnel.
Last May, at the start of the outbreak, two tents at health centers were set on fire in two separate attacks in just one week by angry residents.
Those on the front lines of responding to the outbreak have already declared some members of various response teams were held captive in some health zones, and some teams responsible for safe and dignified burials have been threatened.
Gn Health
