Ebola-response nurse killed in Congo amid violence and water rumors

An Ebola-response nurse was killed and a second health worker seriously injured in an attack on Saturday, October 24, in Bafwasende, Tshopo province, in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus confirmed the attack the next day, saying the pair had been responding to an Ebola alert. [His original post](https://x.com/DrTedros/status/2114463260359504344) says the injured worker remained hospitalized. The Associated Press also reported the attack and said local authorities had not commented on suspects at the time. [AP’s report](https://apnews.com/article/congo-ebola-b739277681b530aef772cf66be7e41f0) Local reports said the attackers accused the workers of spreading Ebola by contaminating a water source. The accusation is unsubstantiated; local health authorities rejected the rumors, Radio Okapi reported. WHO guidance describes transmission through contact with the blood or other body fluids of an infected person, or objects contaminated by those fluids. [WHO’s explanation](https://www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/ebola-disease) · [Radio Okapi’s local report](https://www.radiookapi.net/2026/10/25/actualite/sante/un-infirmier-tue-bafwasende-sur-fond-de-rumeurs-liees-ebola) The violence comes as Bafwasende’s health zone is dealing with its own cluster. Health-zone chief Dr. Marcel Likilo told Congolese outlet Actualite.cd that it had recorded 19 cases, including nine deaths; five people had recovered, two were hospitalized and three had left care. These are local figures, not the countrywide total. [Actualite.cd’s report](https://actualite.cd/2026/10/25/ebola-dans-la-tshopo-un-infirmier-pris-pour-cible-et-tue-sur-fond-de-rumeur-bafwasende) WHO’s October 23 outbreak update, using data through October 20, counted 9,704 confirmed cases and 4,687 deaths in the DRC. Kenya and Nigeria have also reported imported cases. [WHO’s latest situation update](https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2026-DON622) Attacks and rumors can make it harder for responders to investigate alerts, trace contacts and connect sick people with care. The UN office coordinating the Ebola response has called for a thorough investigation, according to [Actualite.cd](https://actualite.cd/2026/10/26/rdc-lonu-condamne-le-meurtre-dun-infirmier-engage-dans-la-riposte-contre-ebola). The reports reviewed had not identified suspects, announced arrests or established the full circumstances of the attack.