Madar (Kinshasa) - A nurse was killed and another health worker seriously injured in an attack while responding to an Ebola alert in north-eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the BBC reported on Monday, October 26, 2026.
According to the UN-backed Radio Okapi, cited by the BBC, the two were targeted by local youths who accused them of contaminating water sources and spreading the Ebola virus. The World Health Organization condemned the attack, with Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus saying health workers "must be able to carry out their duties in safety and dignity".
The BBC said more than 4,800 people have died and nearly 10,000 have been infected in DR Congo since the outbreak began in May, and that similar attacks on health workers have occurred before.
Meanwhile, Uganda banned all non-essential travel to and from DR Congo and ordered 21 days of quarantine, at their own cost, for its citizens returning from there. Only essential travellers, including aid workers, truck drivers and security personnel, may cross the border after strict health screening, and all travellers entering Uganda must complete locator forms to facilitate contact tracing.
According to the BBC, Uganda recorded 20 cases and two deaths shortly after the outbreak began, and none since August. The restrictions follow cases in Kenya and Nigeria in travellers who had passed through Uganda.
In Nigeria, the patient, the Ugandan-born wife of a Swiss diplomat, was flown on Monday from Abuja to Switzerland for treatment, and Nigeria's health ministry said she is stable. In Kenya, the first group of 20 contacts went home after 21 days in quarantine, according to the health ministry, while 98 others remain under supervision and seven people who tested positive are stable.
