Paris-Geneva, 26 October 2026. Dr Dima Amin, aged 55, is an obstetrician-gynaecologist who has dedicated her career to providing reproductive and maternal healthcare to Palestinian women. She is also a member of the board of the Bisan Center for Research and Development, a Palestinian civil society organisation that works to advocate the socio-economic and political rights of Palestinians, particularly those of marginalised communities, women, workers and young people. On 18 August 2026, Israeli forces arrested her during a night raid on her home in Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank. During her transfer, she suffered a health emergency and was taken to hospital, where she underwent several medical examinations, including cardiac catheterisation. She was returned to interrogation as soon as her condition stabilised. On 21 August 2026, after being held at the Moscobiya detention and interrogation centre, Dr Amin was placed in solitary confinement in a windowless cell. The detention and sanitary conditions there were extremely poor. On 27 August 2026, the Israeli military prosecution indicted her for “incitement” and “support for terrorist organisations” based on posts on her Facebook account denouncing human rights violations in Palestine. Dr Amin is currently held in Al-Damon prison. Palestinian prisoners’ rights organisations have...

Paris-Geneva, 26 October 2026. Dr Dima Amin, aged 55, is an obstetrician-gynaecologist who has dedicated her career to providing reproductive and maternal healthcare to Palestinian women. She is also a member of the board of the Bisan Center for Research and Development, a Palestinian civil society organisation that works to advocate the socio-economic and political rights of Palestinians, particularly those of marginalised communities, women, workers and young people. On 18 August 2026, Israeli forces arrested her during a night raid on her home in Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank. During her transfer, she suffered a health emergency and was taken to hospital, where she underwent several medical examinations, including cardiac catheterisation. She was returned to interrogation as soon as her condition stabilised. On 21 August 2026, after being held at the Moscobiya detention and interrogation centre, Dr Amin was placed in solitary confinement in a windowless cell. The detention and sanitary conditions there were extremely poor. On 27 August 2026, the Israeli military prosecution indicted her for “incitement” and “support for terrorist organisations” based on posts on her Facebook account denouncing human rights violations in Palestine. Dr Amin is currently held in Al-Damon prison. Palestinian prisoners’ rights organisations have...

Angry youths armed with machetes attacked two community health workers raising awareness about the Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo, killing one and wounding the other, according to officials and a memo seen by Reuters on Monday, in the latest in a series of attacks fueled by misinformation. The worker who was killed was an experienced nurse who had worked at the general hospital in the town of Bafwasende in Tshopo province, and was recently tasked with helping to raise awareness about the deadly virus in the local community, where he was a well-known figure, a local official, and the memo said. "We are shocked at how the population turned against this nurse. It is impossible to believe that he was mistaken for a stranger," a local health official told Reuters. The attack took place on Friday afternoon, when the nurse and a colleague, a teacher also working on community outreach, stopped to check on a lot of land. A group of people building a home next door began to accuse them of spreading the disease by contaminating water. "Here are the people that are spreading the Ebola virus through people's toilets and rivers!" they shouted, according to the memo shared...

A nurse has been killed and another health worker severely injured after they were attacked while responding to an Ebola alert in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), according to the World Health Organization. It was the latest in a series of attacks on health workers and responders that authorities say is hampering efforts to slow the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak in the world. Recommended Stories list of 3 items list 1 of 3Kenya announces second Ebola death, says ‘no evidence’ of community spread list 2 of 3WHO announces start of Ebola vaccine clinical trial in DR Congo list 3 of 3Uganda orders 21-day Ebola quarantine for citizens returning from DR Congo end of list The attack took place on Saturday in the town of Bafwasende in the DRC’s eastern Tshopo province, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a post on X on Sunday. “Everyone working to protect communities from this deadly disease must be able to work in dignity and safety. Healthcare must always be protected,” he said. The WHO’s regional director for Africa, Dr Mohamed Yakub Janabi, also condemned the attack on X. “Health is NOT a target,” he said. “Those responding to the Ebola outbreak must...

Infectious disease epidemics may erode the healthcare workforce most severely in countries already struggling with staffing shortages, “further aggravating the global inequity in the health workforce,” suggests a new study published in PLOS Medicine. The study analyzed three decades of data across 194 countries and territories. Researchers led by a team from the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences in Beijing estimated that epidemics could account for an average annual shortfall of 17,500 health workers worldwide, with disproportionately large losses relative to workforce size in low- and lower-middle–income countries (though that estimate assumes cause and effect, which the study could not establish). The analysis spanned 1990 through 2019, so it does not capture healthcare worker losses during the COVID-19 pandemic, during which an estimated 115,500 healthcare workers died globally. Largest losses in sub-Saharan Africa For the study, the researchers analyzed data from the International Emergency Events Database and the Global Burden of Disease study and identified 1,185 epidemic events in 132 countries (62 countries had no records). To qualify, events had to meet at least one of the following conditions: they had to cause 10 or more deaths, affect at least 100 people, and trigger a state-of-emergency declaration or a formal...

Campaña " ¿Teva? No, gracias" 🇮🇱💀💊💊 🚌Viaja con nosotras a Zaragoza el 14 de noviembre a exigir el cese de la actividad de Teva en nuestro estado. Rellena el formulario para venir con nosotras en los b...

Kenya has confirmed four new cases of Ebola (Bundibugyo Virus Disease), bringing the total number of confirmed cases to seven, including the first patient who died. The Ministry of Health said the latest cases involve a close male relative of the deceased patient and three health workers who attended to him in hospital. In a statement issued on Saturday, October 17, 2026, Director General for Health Patrick Amoth said all four patients had developed fever as their first symptom before testing positive for the disease. The cases were confirmed by both the National Virology Reference Laboratory and the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) laboratory. “The patients are currently receiving supportive care from our trained health workers,” Amoth said. He added that the second and third patients were stable and responding well to treatment. The three health workers comprise two men and one woman aged 29, 35 and 32, respectively. They attended to the first patient at the hospital between October 3 and 4, 2026. According to the ministry, the health workers had been in quarantine since October 9 and were receiving supportive care at the designated treatment facility. The newly confirmed male patient, a close relative of the deceased, had...

October 13, 2026 Introduction: Why should we regard health workers as human rights defenders? Health workers—meaning all those who “primarily work with the intent to advance health” such as doctors, nurses and midwives—act as human rights defenders when they ensure that all people, no matter their backgrounds, can benefit from the basic right to appropriate healthcare. They also serve in wider roles as rights defenders, such as in protecting people’s sexual and reproductive health and rights or in supporting those who are experiencing conflict or displacement. Although health workers have long been considered a specially protected group, they continue to be common targets of rights violations. In her April 2025 report to the General Assembly, Tlaleng Mofokeng, the United Nations' Special Rapporteur on the right to health, argued that health workers are important actors promoting human rights and that they should therefore receive improved protection and support. Building on this call to action, this article highlights the contributions and challenges of health workers as rights defenders worldwide. What are the contributions of health workers to human rights? Health workers act as human rights defenders first in upholding the “right to health” for all. The Office of the High Commissioner for...

North Country Community College is launching a second session of its Community Health Worker Training Program following the successful completion of the program’s inaugural cohort this summer. The next 10-week session begins Oct. 12 and will be offered fully online, with classes meeting Mondays from 6 to 8:40 p.m. Registration is now open at nccc.edu/community-health-worker. This introductory program prepares participants for work as Community Health Workers, frontline public health professionals who help bridge the gap between individuals, communities, healthcare providers and social services. It is designed for individuals interested in beginning a career in community health, and no prior community health worker experience is required. The training may also benefit people already working in healthcare, emergency medical services, public health, human services, social services or community-based organizations who want to strengthen their skills in helping people navigate health and social service systems. North Country launched its first Community Health Worker training cohort during summer 2026, with participants from the North Country and elsewhere in New York State. During the program, students worked through client scenarios, developed client-centered care plans, practiced motivational interviewing, identified community resources and referral pathways and learned strategies for helping clients address barriers to health. Students also...

Congo’s Ebola outbreak has crossed 8,000 confirmed cases, with officials and aid agencies warning that the country is running short of health workers needed to contain the disease. The current outbreak, announced on May 15, is the country’s 17th and its deadliest, and is caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus, which has no known treatment or vaccine. According to the latest data from Congo’s health ministry, released on Sunday, 8,067 cases had been confirmed and 3,901 people had died as of September 26. The outbreak has spread across 63 health zones in seven of the country’s 26 provinces, with a fatality rate of more than 48 per cent. In its latest report, the World Health Organisation said, “The continuously high crude case fatality ratio, and especially the continuously high rate of deaths occurring in communities, highlights the seriousness of the disease and the persistent challenges in timely case detection and access to early and adequate patient care.” It said this showed that a large share of those infected were dying, without accounting for factors such as delays in seeking help or hidden cases. The outbreak has also been marked by unrest and mistrust. An official of Congo’s ruling party UDPS,...

BUNIA, Congo (AP) — Congo is running short of health workers to staff treatment centers for history's fastest-growing Ebola outbreak, particularly in the eastern province of North Kivu where cases have surged 73% over three weeks, the World Health Organization said Wednesday. The warning came despite signs of improvement in other provinces, including Ituri, the outbreak's epicenter. The outbreak has spread to seven provinces, with 7,773 confirmed cases and 3,759 deaths, according to the latest government figures. READ MORE: Congo begins Ebola vaccinations for health workers in the epicenter of the outbreak Between Aug. 31 and Sept. 20, cases fell 26% in Ituri province and 15% in Haut-Uele, said Marie Roseline Belizaire, the WHO's regional emergency director for Africa. But transmission patterns vary widely and the outbreak remains uncontrolled, she said. "While cases and deaths are declining in some provinces, they continue to rise in others," Belizaire said. "The outbreak is still not under control and remains spread across a wide geographic area." The outbreak is spreading under extremely difficult conditions, fueled by insecurity, displacement, a health workers' strike and intense population movements. The World Health Organization has said it is on track to surpass the 2014-2016 West Africa Ebola...

Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) and the Organization for Justice and Accountability in the Horn of Africa (OJAH) have conducted extensive research on attacks on health care in Ethiopia. Their August 2026 research brief, Stolen, Broken, Destroyed: How Impunity Has Fueled Ongoing Attacks on Health Care in Ethiopia, shows how years of impunity have turned attacks on health care into a normalized tactic of conflict in Ethiopia, where multiple armed groups continue to target health workers and health facilities. The publication draws on surveys of 602 health workers across Tigray, Amhara, and Afar, 40 interviews, four focus groups, and additional monitoring in 2025 and 2026. Related PHR and OJAH research on the health and human rights consequences of conflict in Ethiopia includes: “You Will Never Be Able to Give Birth”: Conflict-Related Sexual and Reproductive Violence in Ethiopia, PHR/OJAH report, July 2025 Broken Promises: Conflict-Related Sexual Violence Before and After the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement in Tigray, Ethiopia, PHR/OJAH report, August 2023 Below is a Q&A about the attacks on health crisis in Ethiopia: What has happened to health care in Ethiopia since the conflict in Tigray? The conflict that began in Tigray in November 2020 devastated the region’s health system,...

BUNIA, Congo -- BUNIA, Congo (AP) — Congo on Saturday began vaccinating healthcare staff against Ebola in Bunia, the epicenter of the fastest-growing outbreak of the disease in history as they are “particularly exposed and deeply involved in the response,” the provincial governor said. Health workers and other front-line workers in the Ebola response are being prioritized to receive the Ervebo vaccine that was effective in past Ebola outbreaks caused by a different, more common type of virus. Clinical trials are ongoing to find a licensed vaccine for the current outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo virus, which has no licensed vaccine or treatment. The rollout is targeting the Bunia and Mongbwalu zones in Ituri province, health authorities said Saturday. Both areas are among the hardest-hit by the virus. “Our collective duty is to protect life. Launching this vaccination drive for front-line staff in Ituri is not an arbitrary choice, as these workers are particularly exposed and deeply involved in the response,” the military governor of Ituri, Maj. Gen. Gaby Kasongo Mulumba, said Saturday. The campaign in Ituri and North Kivu is expected to cover 20,000 front-line workers over a period of six to nine months. As of Saturday, the country...

Health workers in parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have begun to receive a vaccine that many hope will provide a level of protection against the Ebola virus. The vaccine rollout started on Saturday in Bunia, the capital of Ituri province in the northeastern DRC. Ituri is the epicentre of the fastest-growing outbreak of Ebola in history. Recommended Stories list of 3 items list 1 of 3DR Congo’s worst Ebola epidemic ever passes 7,000 cases list 2 of 3Ebola spreads to seventh DRC province as gov’t insists cases are declining list 3 of 3Ebola fight in DRC ‘far from over,’ warns WHO chief end of list The provincial governor, Major-General Gaby Kasongo Mulumba, said health workers there “are particularly exposed and deeply involved in the response”. The operation, backed by the World Health Organization and Doctors Without Borders, known by its French initials MSF, will also target North Kivu, where cases have been rising sharply, health authorities said. Some 50,000 health and other frontline workers will be injected with the Ervebo vaccine, which was developed for use against the more common Zaire strain. Its effectiveness against the current Ebola strain caused by the Bundibugyo virus will be...

IGA-BARRIÈRE, Congo -- Isaac Batisa spends his days digging for gold at a mining site in eastern Congo, hoping to earn enough money to support his family. He is among hundreds of people, many of them children, working at the artisanal gold mine in eastern Congo's Ituri province, where the country's fast-moving Ebola outbreak is concentrated. For the 11-year-old Batisa, though, his immediate concern is not the disease which has killed more than 2,300 people among at least 5,000 cases. He just wants to return home with some earnings, sometimes as little as $2 a day. “We don’t know about Ebola here,” he said. As the outbreak spreads and kills people faster than any other outbreak of the disease in history, a major source of concern for monitoring efforts is miners constantly on the move and in hard-to-reach, unsafe territories. The Associated Press gained rare access into one of Ituri's largest mines, in the locality of Iga-Barrière, where miners crowd into pits to dig for gold. Although there are no known reports of the outbreak reaching any of Congo's mining sites, officials say it's difficult to know the true situation in hard-to-reach areas. Most new cases and deaths are reported...

BOSTON, Aug. 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- In recognition of National Community Health Worker (CHW) Awareness Week #NCHWAW, an expanded report with new tools, Strengthening Public Health with Community Health Workers, #StrengthInCHWs, was published today demonstrating how state networks, community-based organizations, and healthcare organizations play a critical role in ensuring sustainable CHW value in community health. Community Health Workers are frontline public health professionals who bridge gaps between health and social services and the communities they serve. They are trusted experts who serve their neighbors and knowledgeable professionals who collaborate with cross-sector partners to help ensure that everyone can receive compassionate and respectful high quality and effective care. Originally published in 2025 during CHW Awareness Week through a collaboration between the National Association of CHWs (NACHW), Sanofi, NationSwell, Atlas Clarity, and CHW leaders across the country, the report explores how and where CHWs are effectively integrated into their communities sustainably and calls for strategic collaboration, innovation and investment in CHW sustainability toward improved community health. CHWs are especially critical in communities where services are hard to reach, including the 76 million Americans who live in health professional shortage areas. With uniquely earned trust, CHWs are critical in crisis response and in...