Nov. 28 (UPI) -- Rebels attacked health facilities in the Democratic Republic of Congo, killing four Ebola response workers and injuring five others, the World Health Organization said Thursday as it combats an outbreak of the deadly disease in the African nation.
"We are heartbroken that people have died in the line of duty as they worked to save others," said WHO Director-General Adhanom Ghebreyesus. "The world has lost brave professionals."
The victims include a member of a vaccination team, two drivers and a police officer, WHO said in a statement.
The rebels attacked a shared living camp in Biakato Mines and an Ebola response coordination office in Mangina overnight Wednesday, Ghebreyesus said.
Related
Though no WHO staff member died in either attack, one was injured, he said, adding that the majority of those injured were employees of the DRC Ministry of Health.
"My heart goes out to the family and friends of the first responders killed in these attacks," said WHO's regional director for Africa, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti. "We are doing everything possible to bring the injured and front-line workers in the impacted areas to safety. These constant attacks must stop."
The attacks occurred as the international health organization has been battling to contain the second-worst outbreak of Ebola on record that has seen some 2,200 deaths among 3,309 cases of the disease since August 2018.
WHO said it has seen progress against the disease. In the past 21 days, there have been 23 recorded cases of the disease, seven of which occurred in the past week, which is down from its peak of 120 cases a week in April, WHO said.
But that progress is now under threat due to the recent surge in violence.
"Ebola was retreating," said Tedros. "These attacks will give it force again, and more people will die as a consequence. It will be tragic to see more unnecessary suffering in communities that have already suffered so much. We call on everyone who has a role to play to end this cycle of violence."
The attacks have made WHO's fight against the disease in the DRC more difficult, said Mike Ryan, WHO's executive director for health and emergencies.
In a phone call with journalists Thursday, he said there have been 386 attacks against health care workers, resulting in seven deaths and 77 injuries, with this most recent attack being "by far the deadliest."
"There's no confirmation of the actual perpetrators or the reason for the attack -- we can only make assumptions about who it might have been given the active groups in the area," he said.
WHO said it relocated a third of its Ebola response personnel in Beni, one of the worst affected areas, to Goma on Tuesday due to the violence.
"The disruptions to the response and lack of access to Ebola-affected communities are threatening to reverse recent progress," WHO said in a Thursday outbreak update. "As seen previously during this outbreak, such disruptions often result in increased transmission and a subsequent rise in the number of cases due to impacts on surveillance and control efforts, such as active case finding, contact tracing and vaccination."
