BUNIA, Congo — Medical staff at an Ebola treatment facility in eastern Congo initiated a strike on Saturday due to unpaid wages, threatening patient care in the heart of the country’s escalating health crisis.
Government statistics released Friday indicate that confirmed Ebola cases have climbed to 2,973, resulting in 1,309 fatalities. Authorities describe this as the fastest-growing outbreak in history.
Operations at the Elikya Ebola Treatment Center in Bunia, located in the Ituri province, have been largely paralyzed following a walkout by doctors, nurses, and security personnel.
Approximately one hundred healthcare workers gathered to protest outside the facility on Saturday. The demonstrators stated that unpaid bonuses are damaging staff morale and jeopardizing patient safety, demanding that Congolese officials settle all outstanding arrears to allow for a resumption of services.
In a formal statement issued Friday, the staff announced a unanimous decision to strike until “concrete solutions” are implemented to address two months of unpaid performance bonuses.
This follows a similar labor action last week at Bunia General Hospital, the largest medical institution in the region, where employees struck over unpaid salaries. Some staff members reported to The Associated Press that they have not received compensation since the outbreak began.
According to the World Health Organization, more than 100 healthcare workers have contracted the virus since the outbreak’s inception.
The nation has been struggling to contain the Bundibugyo virus outbreak since May 15. Ministry of Health data shows that 766 patients are currently hospitalized or in isolation, while 540 individuals have recovered.
The Ituri province remains the epicenter, accounting for nearly 90% of all confirmed cases.
Despite an expanding medical response, the virus is spreading faster than officials can manage.
Containment efforts are complicated by the inability to identify “patient zero.” Furthermore, widespread displacement caused by armed conflict and movement within mining sectors has made contact tracing for thousands of exposed individuals extremely difficult.
The emergency response faces several hurdles, including significant funding shortages, attacks on medical centers, regional conflict, and community mistrust.
The lack of approved vaccines or specific treatments for the Bundibugyo virus poses an additional challenge, as current vaccines are designed for the Zaire virus, which has been responsible for the majority of Congo’s previous 16 Ebola outbreaks.
A clinical study evaluating two potential Ebola treatments has recently commenced in the Ituri region.
The WHO maintains that the global risk of the virus spreading beyond Central Africa remains low, noting that Ebola is transmitted through direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person rather than through airborne particles.
