More health workers strike as Ebola cases in Congo exceed 2,000, including 754 deaths
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- Congo's Ebola outbreak has reached 2,011 confirmed cases and 754 deaths, making it the fastest-growing on record according to government data released overnight.
- Health workers at Bunia General Hospital walked off the job Wednesday over unpaid compensation, barricading the entrance of the region's largest medical center.
- Dozens of staff at a Rwampara Ebola treatment center struck Monday over unpaid salaries and bonuses, agreeing to return only if the government pays within 72 hours.
- The WHO reports 80% of new cases come from unknown transmission chains and over 100 health workers have been infected since the outbreak began May 15.
- Patient zero remains unidentified and contact tracing covers only 67% of exposed individuals — hampered by armed conflict displacements and mining-related movements.
- Unlike the Zaire virus responsible for 16 prior Congo outbreaks, the Bundibugyo virus driving this outbreak has no approved vaccine, though enrollment has begun for a study of two potential treatments in Ituri.
- Many recent deaths occurred in communities without victims ever reaching a health facility, per WHO emergencies chief Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, who recently returned from Bunia.
Why it matters: Workers at two treatment centers have walked off without pay in a region where over 100 health workers are already infected and 80% of new cases come from unknown transmission chains — directly undermining contact tracing that covers only 67% of exposed individuals.
