Ebola cases in Democratic Republic of Congo surpass 10,000 as nurse treating patients is killed by mob

The number of Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has surpassed 10,000, government data showed, as fears that the epidemic could spread to more African countries grow.

The number of Ebola cases in the DRC now stands at 10,060, according to the latest report from the country's health ministry - making this the fastest-growing outbreak of the disease in history.

It comes after officials said a nurse responding to the Ebola outbreak in the DRC was killed by a group of young people armed with machetes.

Another health worker was injured in the attack on Friday - the latest in a series of violent incidents fuelled by misinformation about the deadly virus.

Officials said the two were targeted by a group wielding machetes and batons, who accused the pair of spreading ⁠the disease by contaminating water sources.

The nurse had worked at the general hospital in the town of Bafwasende in Tshopo province, and ​had been helping raise awareness about the Bundibugyo strain, which the DRC's health ministry says has killed more than 4,800 people in the country since the start of the outbreak in May.

A local health official said they were "shocked at how the population turned against ​this nurse", and that it was "impossible to believe that he was mistaken for a stranger".

The World Health Organization (WHO) condemned the attack, with its director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, insisting that health workers "must be able to work in dignity and safety".

In a social media post, Julien Harneis, the UN's senior Ebola coordinator, said the nurse's death was "a loss to the Ebola response and an even greater loss to patients".

A local official said that health workers in Bafwasende are currently staying at the general hospital under police guard, while the army was also briefly deployed to the area.

The official added: "None of the nurses have ​slept at their homes because they fear for their security."

Numerous attacks on health workers

Recent attacks on health workers have targeted hospitals, vehicles and staff involved in the Ebola response - adding to the difficulty of containing the spread of the disease.

The house of another community worker raising awareness about Ebola in the region was set on fire last week, officials said.

Meanwhile, last month, a Congolese politician was beaten to death for defending government measures in dealing with the outbreak.

Earlier this month, both Kenya and Nigeria reported their first cases of Ebola linked to the current outbreak.

The patient in Nigeria, the Ugandan-born wife of a Swiss diplomat, has been medically evacuated to Switzerland for treatment for the virus, authorities said on Monday.

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Nigerian health minister Muhammad Ali Pate said her condition had improved significantly, and she was stable, conscious and able to communicate.

"This does not mean she is not still infectious, hence the strict protocols in place," Mr Pate wrote on X.

The Swiss government said: "This situation does not pose any risk to public health in Switzerland."

The woman tested positive after returning to Nigeria's capital, Abuja, from Uganda. Nigerian authorities say they have not yet established how she contracted the virus.

Kenya has reported nine cases and two deaths, while Uganda also reported cases in May and June. However, the WHO ​declared the latter country free of the virus in August.

The transmission means the strain has the widest geographic spread of any Ebola outbreak in Africa to date.

(c) Sky News 2026: Ebola cases in Democratic Republic of Congo surpass 10,000 as nurse tre