Ebola Crisis Worsens as Health Workers Protest Unpaid Wages in DR Congo

(Ebola And Health Workers Team. Photo by The Independent)

Dozens of health workers at the centre of the world's fastest-growing Ebola outbreak have staged protests demanding payment for unpaid wages, with several abandoning their posts as health authorities report the disease continues spreading at alarming rates.

Confirmed cases in the outbreak reached 3,973 as of Tuesday, including 1,801 fatalities, making it the second-largest Ebola epidemic recorded, trailing only the 2014-2016 West African outbreak which claimed over 11,000 lives across more than 28,000 cases.

The protesting health workers, including nurses providing critical care to affected patients, gathered at the provincial governor's office in Bunia, which accounts for approximately 90 per cent of the country's cases.

The workers stated they have not received wages or performance bonuses since the outbreak was declared in mid-May in one of the nation's most remote and conflict-affected regions.

Protesters expressed concern that without swift resolution, the disease would persist within the province.

Government officials have previously attributed payment delays to logistical obstacles, though authorities did not provide immediate response to requests for comment on the current situation.

Poor support provisions for frontline responders have emerged as a significant concern throughout the outbreak, compounded by incidents in which health workers and facilities have faced att@cks by armed groups and civilian mobs.

During a recent visit to the country, the World Health Organization Director-General urged authorities to prioritise welfare and support measures for outbreak responders.

A medical aid organisation characterised the epidemic as spreading at "alarming and unprecedented rates," noting that whilst response efforts have expanded, they remain insufficient to interrupt transmission chains and reach affected communities with adequate speed.

Government data indicates 674 patients currently remain isolated, predominantly in Ituri province.

Contact tracing efforts reach approximately 75 per cent of exposures, though officials highlighted that 60-70 per cent of new cases originate beyond traced contacts, predominantly in remote areas where armed conflict and mining-related activity restrict access to affected populations.