The World Health Organization was saddened to hear this morning about the sudden death of a dear colleague in Beni, the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The colleague was deployed from a neighbouring country to Beni to work in the Ebola response, where he supported the administrative team. The exact cause of death is still under investigation, but a preliminary medical report has ruled out Ebola and violence.

Currently, there are 500 WHO staff deployed in the DRC to support the Ebola response.

Our hearts go out to the family of our colleague. We pay tribute to the many dedicated men and women from across the African region and beyond for their work towards ending the Ebola outbreak in the DRC.