WHO epidemiologist killed in attack in DRC

The WHO identified the epidemiologist killed in a hospital attack in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as Richard Valery Mouzoko Kiboung. Mouzoko, from Cameroon, was responding to the ongoing Ebola outbreak in DRC. The attack occurred Friday during a meeting at Butembo University Hospital, the WHO said. Hours later, a militia launched another attack on an Ebola treatment center. The incidents were the latest flashes of violence in the region where the virus is spreading, which has complicated efforts to quell the outbreak, the second largest on record.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement that Mouzoko’s death was “a tragic reminder of the risks health workers take every day to protect the lives and health of others” and that the WHO was assessing the security situation. In a tweet, Tedros said Mouzoko was married with four children, ages 6 to 12.