Health workers battling the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have threatened to embark on an indefinite strike over months of unpaid salaries, raising fresh concerns as the World Health Organization (WHO) warns the epidemic may be far larger than official figures suggest.
The outbreak, declared on May 15, has claimed more than 700 lives, with nearly 2,000 confirmed infections recorded across the country, according to the latest official data released on Tuesday.
However, the WHO believes the actual scale of the outbreak could be between two and four times higher than the reported figures, citing modelling that suggests many infections have gone undetected.
The growing crisis has been compounded by frustration among frontline health workers, who say they have not received salaries since the outbreak began.
At the Ebola Treatment Centre in Rwampara, one of the hardest-hit areas in Ituri Province, medical workers staged a protest on Monday by burning tyres and briefly blocking access to the facility.
“We have been treating Ebola patients without pay since May 15,” physician Pascal Bahoya told AFP.
“We continue because of our professional duty, but we are working under extremely difficult conditions.”
Doctors at the centre issued a 48-hour ultimatum to authorities, demanding payment of outstanding salaries and bonuses. They warned that if their demands are not met, they will launch a full-scale strike without maintaining minimum services.
During a visit to Ituri last week, Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba acknowledged delays in salary payments and assured workers that the administrative issues responsible for the delays would soon be resolved.
The strike threat comes as healthcare workers continue to face enormous risks while trying to contain the highly infectious disease in one of the world’s poorest nations.
According to the National Public Health Institute (INSP), at least 112 healthcare workers have contracted Ebola during the current outbreak, while 35 have died.
Ebola, a viral haemorrhagic fever transmitted through direct contact with infected bodily fluids, can cause severe internal bleeding and organ failure.
The current outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the virus, for which there is currently no approved vaccine or specific treatment. However, a clinical trial involving two experimental therapies is underway.
The disease has spread from its epicentre in Ituri Province to four other eastern provinces—North Kivu, South Kivu, Tshopo and Haut-Uele.
As of July 12, a total of 727 patients were receiving treatment at Ebola treatment centres across the affected regions.
Eastern DRC has endured decades of armed conflict, leaving millions displaced and living in overcrowded camps with limited access to clean water and sanitation, conditions that have complicated efforts to contain the outbreak.
Neighbouring Uganda has also reported 20 Ebola cases, including two deaths, raising fears of further cross-border transmission.
WHO Emergencies Director Chikwe Ihekweazu said the agency’s modelling indicates that the epidemic is significantly larger than official surveillance data suggests.
“The scale of the outbreak is at least two to four times the number of cases that we have identified,” he said during a briefing in Geneva.
The international community has so far mobilised approximately $1.5 billion to support the Ebola response in the DRC, where the healthcare system continues to struggle with chronic underfunding and limited resources.
