The number of Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo has surpassed 10,000, according to government data, as fears grow that the epidemic could spread to more countries across the continent.
More than 4,800 people have died and nearly 10,000 have been infected in DR Congo since the outbreak began in May.
A nurse has been killed and another health worker seriously injured in an attack while responding to an Ebola alert in north-eastern DR Congo. The two were targeted by local youths who accused them of contaminating water sources and spreading the virus, according to Radio Okapi, a UN-backed broadcaster.
The World Health Organization condemned the attack. Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said health workers "must be able to carry out their duties in safety and dignity" and that healthcare personnel should always be protected. The agency also extended its condolences to the family and colleagues of the nurse who was killed and wished the injured worker a swift recovery.
This is not the first such incident in DR Congo. Last month, a politician was beaten to death after promoting measures to stop the spread of Ebola. In August, the Red Cross reported that its volunteers had been injured and an ambulance set on fire in 11 violent incidents during the first 100 days after the outbreak was declared.
Neighbouring Uganda has announced new restrictions in response to the growing crisis. Only essential travellers, including aid workers, truck drivers and security personnel, will be allowed to cross the border from DR Congo into Uganda, subject to strict health screening. All travellers entering Uganda, regardless of their country of origin, will be required to complete locator forms to facilitate contact tracing. Ugandans returning from DR Congo will undergo 21 days of quarantine at their own cost.
"All these are measures to ensure that we keep Uganda free of Ebola," Uganda's Health Minister Chris Baryomunsi said.
The new restrictions follow concerns raised by two cases linked to travel through Uganda. A Kenyan businessman and the Ugandan-born wife of a Swiss diplomat both tested positive for Ebola after passing through Uganda's Entebbe airport on the same day, even though no cases have been officially reported in Uganda since August. CCTV footage reviewed by Ugandan authorities showed no physical interaction between the two passengers.
The Kenyan businessman died two days after arriving in Nairobi. A second woman, related to the businessman, also died over the weekend. About 60 people monitored after contact with the Kenyan patient have since been discharged. In Kenya, the first group of 20 contacts of the initial case completed 21 days of quarantine and have returned home. Another 98 remain under supervision, while seven people who tested positive for Ebola were reported to be stable.
The patient in Nigeria, identified as the Ugandan-born wife of a Swiss diplomat, was flown from Abuja to Switzerland on Monday for further treatment, according to the head of Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, Jean Kaseya. She was evacuated alongside her husband, who has shown no symptoms. Nigeria's health ministry said she was stable, conscious and able to communicate. Authorities are working to establish where she contracted the virus and her full travel history.
Uganda recorded 20 Ebola cases and two deaths shortly after the outbreak began in DR Congo, but the World Health Organization declared the country free of the disease in August. Uganda has repeatedly stressed that no new cases have been reported within its borders since then.
