Humanitarianism

Protesters, fueled by misinformation, kill longtime nurse treating Ebola patients in Congo

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By Reuters

October 26, 2026

Excerpts:

Youths killed a longtime nurse treating Ebola patients in eastern Congo and other health workers were sheltering under police guard, ‌health officials said on Monday, in the latest in a series of attacks that have been fuelled by misinformation.

The nurse worked at the general hospital in the town of Bafwasende in Tshopo province, where he sought to help residents understand and protect themselves from Ebola. He was attacked and killed on Friday.

A colleague survived the attack and was recovering in hospital. Other health workers were sheltering at the general hospital under police guard, too afraid to go home, while the army also briefly deployed to the area.

Attacks on health workers have targeted hospitals, vehicles and staff involved in the Ebola response.

Reuters has previously reported how the rapid spread of health misinformation posed a threat to health workers in eastern Congo even ⁠before Ebola began to spread, with multiple health workers killed in Tshopo after they were accused of spreading an imaginary disease that caused male genitals to atrophy.