Health workers at the Elikya Ebola Treatment Center in Bunia, eastern Congo, began a strike on Saturday over unpaid performance bonuses, disrupting operations at a facility serving an area at the center of a rapidly expanding outbreak. Doctors, nurses and security staff joined the action, leaving much of the center’s work suspended.
About 100 employees protested outside the center and said two months of unpaid bonuses had reduced morale and affected patient care. In a statement issued Friday, staff said they had unanimously agreed to remain on strike until authorities provided concrete solutions. The protest follows a separate strike at Bunia General Hospital, where workers also reported unpaid salaries.
The labor dispute comes as Congo’s Ebola outbreak reaches 2,973 confirmed cases and 1,309 deaths, according to government figures released Friday. Authorities describe it as the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak recorded in the country. More than 100 healthcare workers have been infected since the outbreak began, according to the World Health Organization.
Congo has been responding since May 15, when an outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo virus was identified. Health Ministry data show 766 patients remain isolated or hospitalized, while 540 have recovered. Ituri province accounts for almost 90% of confirmed infections.
Containment efforts face several obstacles. Officials have not identified the first patient, complicating efforts to reconstruct transmission chains. Armed conflict, population displacement and movement linked to mining have made it difficult to trace thousands of potential contacts. Funding shortages, attacks on health facilities and community mistrust have added pressure to the response.
Unlike the more common Zaire strain, the Bundibugyo virus has no approved vaccine or treatment. A study of two therapies has begun in Ituri. WHO assesses the risk of spread beyond Central Africa as low because Ebola requires direct contact with infected bodily fluids, rather than airborne transmission.