Frontline workers battling Congo’s escalating Ebola outbreak have threatened to strike on Monday over unpaid benefits and dire working conditions, as the death toll surpasses 500.
Authorities confirmed 1,561 cases and 506 deaths since the outbreak began on 15 May, with the spread continuing to outpace the response, according to the Ministry of Health’s latest update.
Health professionals in Ituri province, the epicentre of the crisis, issued a 24-hour notice on Sunday.
They warned of industrial action if their demands for payment and improved conditions are not met. These workers, who have toiled with little respite, often face hostility from residents and widespread scepticism about the virus.
A notice to the government, seen by The Associated Press, detailed grievances including unpaid benefits since the outbreak’s inception, inadequate supplies, poor salaries, and the “arrogance” of teams from Kinshasa.
They also criticised the “excessive” use of labour from other provinces over local workers in Ituri, alongside a lack of proper equipment.
The strike threat emerges just days after clinical trials commenced, raising significant concerns about their potential disruption.
Any industrial action could severely impede efforts to contain the outbreak, which has now spread to three eastern provinces: North Kivu, South Kivu, and Ituri.
Response efforts are further complicated by the specific strain of the virus.
The current outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, for which there are no approved vaccines or treatments.
This contrasts with the more common Zaire virus, responsible for 16 previous outbreaks in Congo, for which a vaccine exists.
Officials are still struggling to identify the outbreak’s patient zero and face the monumental task of tracing tens of thousands of individuals who may have come into contact with infected people.
The World Health Organisation has already declared the first month of this outbreak the worst on record.
The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) could push almost 1 million additional people into poverty and inflict billions of dollars in economic losses across Africa, the UN has warned.
The outbreak is not only a health emergency but a broader development crisis that is disrupting livelihoods, trade and public services across affected countries, according to a new UN Development Programme (UNDP) analysis.
It estimates that as many as 985,000 people could be forced into poverty as a result of the economic shock triggered by the outbreak, with women disproportionately affected due to their reliance on informal trade and frontline health work.