Healthcare workers battling Congo's Ebola outbreak have walked off their jobs to protest unpaid wages, threatening the response to an epidemic that's already killed 580 people and continues to spread faster than containment efforts can manage.
In Ituri province, the hardest hit region among three affected provinces in eastern Congo, front-line workers told The Associated Press they haven't received wages or bonuses since the outbreak was declared less than 2 months ago on May 15. They're also working with limited protective gear and facing what they describe as unfair treatment from authorities and response teams.
A Crisis Within a Crisis
The latest government data shows 1,708 recorded cases and 580 deaths. The first month of this outbreak was already the worst on record, health authorities said. The strike comes just as clinical trials for treating the Bundibugyo virus responsible for this outbreak are set to begin.
"Since the Ebola virus disease outbreak was declared, we've been demanding payment for our work," Dr. Biensi Kano, a member of the epidemiological surveillance committee in Ituri's capital, Bunia, told The Associated Press. The non-payment of benefits "exposes us and our families to significant socio-economic difficulties and seriously undermines our living conditions."
Dr. Anne Ancia, the World Health Organization representative in Congo, said 1 day ago that the virus continues to spread, fueled by population movements and insecurity. Some treatment centers are at near-full capacity.
Front-line workers issued an official notice to national and provincial authorities over the weekend, threatening to strike if wages weren't paid within 24 hours. By Tuesday, some had already stopped working, though no official strike has been declared. The aggrieved workers include safety and security teams, community outreach staff, and burial teams handling patients who died from Ebola.
Government Response Falls Short
Congo's government didn't immediately respond to requests for comment. Officials in Ituri said they've met with workers and are addressing their concerns, but the explanations ring hollow to those risking their lives daily.
"The fact that Bunia airport is closed is hampering the very implementation of the response, particularly certain aspects of the flow of funds. This is one of the reasons that may account for the delay in payment," Akilimali Pierre, incident manager at Congo's National Institute of Public Health, told The Associated Press.
Some workers organized a protest 2 days ago outside the Rwampara Ebola treatment center. They set tires alight, causing brief panic before police intervened.
Risking Lives for Nothing
Health workers face attacks from angry residents and widespread skepticism about the virus. Dr. Ben Bakule, a community investigator, said he narrowly escaped death in late May when angry young men attacked him and his colleagues while tracing contacts of a confirmed Ebola case in the village of Tutu, in Djugu territory.
"We spend money on transport to get to work. We thought we'd be rewarded. At the moment, nothing is going right because we're not being paid. We don't deserve this sort of treatment," he told The Associated Press. "We might have to give up our jobs. These are risks we're taking. We risk dying for nothing. This government wants this epidemic to continue."
When Congo's Minister of Health Roger Kamba visited the mining town of Mongbwalu—considered the hot spot for the disease—last month, he assured response teams the government was prioritizing their working conditions. "All doctors, all nurses and all staff working on the response will be fully supported. We have the money for that," Kamba said.
But front-line workers say the reality is different.
"We are doing everything we can to make the public understand how dangerous this disease is. I came here to save people's lives, but this is how I am being thanked. We are working day and night without being paid," said Dr. Ghislain Maneba, an epidemiologist and community investigator in the Rwampara health zone.
Community Fears Mounting
The strike has caused concern among residents in Ituri, where measures to slow the outbreak have already resulted in economic hardship. Bunia resident Anifa Kito said she fears response efforts may falter, further complicating daily life. "I would ask the authorities to resolve this situation before things get any worse," she said, standing in front of her tomato stall.
Why This Matters:
The collapse of worker morale at the epicenter of an Ebola outbreak exposes how inadequate public health infrastructure and broken promises undermine disease response when it's needed most. Healthcare workers aren't just asking for bonuses—they're demanding the basic compensation promised to them for risking their lives and their families' wellbeing. Without reliable pay and adequate protective equipment, the front-line workforce that stands between containment and catastrophic spread simply can't function. The government's failure to deliver on its commitments threatens to turn a public health emergency into a full-scale humanitarian disaster, with the burden falling hardest on communities already facing economic hardship from outbreak control measures. When those who protect public health can't feed their own families, the entire system of collective disease response breaks down.