DRC Ebola Cases Surge Past 2,000 as Healthcare Workers Strike
Healthcare workers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Ituri province have begun a strike over unpaid wages, adding further strain to the country’s ongoing Ebola outbreak.
The outbreak has claimed 754 lives and recorded 2,011 confirmed cases, with healthcare workers in the epicentre of the outbreak expressing their discontent over insufficient compensation and poor working conditions.
The striking workers blocked the entrance of Bunia General Hospital in the northeastern Ituri province on Wednesday, disrupting medical services.
This action follows similar strikes in the region where healthcare workers have gone unpaid for months. Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has labelled this outbreak as the third largest and fastest-growing Ebola outbreak in history.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has expressed concern that the official death toll may be double or even quadruple the officially recorded figures.
The ongoing outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the virus, has no known vaccine or treatment. However, a clinical trial testing the potential of an antiviral drug to prevent infection among exposed individuals was launched on Tuesday.
Wararka.so — your trusted source for global news.
