Key facts
- Health workers at an Ebola treatment center in eastern Congo are on strike over unpaid performance bonuses.
- The strike is disrupting patient care at the Elikya Ebola Treatment Center in Bunia.
- Confirmed Ebola cases in Congo have reached 2,973, with 1,309 deaths.
- This outbreak is reportedly the fastest-growing on record.
- More than 100 healthcare workers have been infected since the outbreak began.
- A study of two potential Ebola treatments is underway in Ituri province.
Health workers at an Ebola treatment center in eastern Congo initiated a strike on Saturday, citing issues with unpaid performance bonuses and disrupting patient care amidst a rapidly escalating outbreak. The number of confirmed Ebola cases has climbed to 2,973, resulting in 1,309 deaths, according to government data released Friday. This marks the fastest-growing outbreak on record.
The strike at the Elikya Ebola Treatment Center in Bunia, Ituri province, has largely paralyzed operations, with approximately one hundred health workers protesting outside. They are demanding the settlement of two months of unpaid performance bonuses.
Last week, a similar strike occurred at Bunia General Hospital, the region's largest medical facility, over unpaid salaries, with some staff reporting no payment since the outbreak's inception. The World Health Organization has reported that over 100 healthcare workers have contracted Ebola since the outbreak began.
The Central African nation has been battling this outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo virus, since May 15. Currently, 766 patients remain in isolation or hospitals, while 540 have recovered. Ituri province accounts for nearly 90% of the confirmed cases.
Challenges in containing the outbreak include the difficulty in identifying patient zero, the displacement of populations due to armed conflict and mining activities, which complicates contact tracing, and a funding gap. Attacks on health centers, ongoing conflict, and local community mistrust further hinder response efforts.
Unlike previous outbreaks caused by the more common Zaire virus, for which a vaccine exists, this outbreak involves the Bundibugyo virus, for which approved treatments are still under investigation. However, enrollment has begun in Ituri for a study involving two potential Ebola treatments. The WHO assesses the global risk of the outbreak spreading outside Central Africa as low, emphasizing that Ebola's transmission through direct contact with bodily fluids, rather than airborne, makes it less easily spread than respiratory viruses.