Workers at an Ebola treatment center in Congo strike over unpaid salarie…

Health workers at an Ebola treatment center in northeastern Congo have gone on strike over unpaid salaries and bonuses, disrupting efforts to contain the continent’s fastest-growing Ebola outbreak. The strike, which began on Monday, July 13, involves staff at Rwampara General Hospital in Ituri province, including epidemiologists, case investigators, drivers, and gravediggers. The workers, who have not received payments since the outbreak was declared in May, shut down the hospital and blocked roads leading to the facility, with some setting tires ablaze in protest.

The strike has intensified concerns about the already dire situation in Ituri, where the Bundibugyo virus—unlike the more common Ebola strains—has no approved vaccine or treatment. The Congolese authorities declared the outbreak on May 15, though the disease had been spreading for weeks without official detection, according to the World Health Organization. Since then, the virus has spread to two additional provinces, with 1,926 confirmed cases and 702 deaths reported as of early July.

“We don’t know how it is possible to not have been paid for two months,” said Bahati Claude, a health worker at the Rwampara health zone, citing the workers’ frustration. “We don’t want to give up the job.” The strike follows months of unpaid wages and limited resources, with some workers alleging they have been forced to cover transportation costs to reach their posts. Dr. Biensi Kano, a member of the epidemiological surveillance committee in Ituri’s capital, Bunia, described the non-payment as a “significant socio-economic difficulty” that undermines the workers’ ability to combat the outbreak.

Congolese Health Minister Roger Kamba acknowledged the challenges in addressing the payroll disputes, stating that some “unrelated names” had been added to the list of workers, complicating efforts to ensure payments reach those who have been actively involved in the response. “We must ensure that these payments reach the right people,” Kamba said, adding that the government is working to resolve the issue. However, officials also cited the closure of Bunia airport as a factor delaying financial flows, which has exacerbated the crisis.

The strike has not only disrupted medical operations but also raised fears of further community resistance. Health workers have faced attacks from angry residents, including an incident in late May when Dr. Ben Bakule and colleagues were nearly killed while tracing contacts of an Ebola case. “We risk dying for nothing,” Bakule said, criticizing the government for failing to support frontline workers. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization has warned that the outbreak is spreading rapidly due to population movements and insecurity, with some treatment centers operating at near-full capacity.

The situation has drawn international attention, with WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus noting the transfer of a second U.S. Humanitarian worker infected with Ebola to Germany. The first American to contract the virus was a doctor working in Congo during the early stages of the outbreak. Despite these efforts, the strike highlights the growing strain on both workers and the public health system, as the outbreak continues to outpace containment measures.

Residents in Ituri, where economic hardship has already been worsened by lockdowns and movement restrictions, are now anxious about the potential fallout. “I would ask the authorities to resolve this situation before things get any worse,” said Anifa Kito, a Bunia market vendor. For now, the strike underscores the fragile balance between public health needs and the logistical and financial challenges of responding to a crisis of this scale.