Ebola cases in DR Congo pass 2,000 as hospital staff strike over pay
Health workers in eastern DR Congo have walked out while the country’s Ebola outbreak has grown to more than 2,000 confirmed cases, officials say.
Health workers at Bunia General Hospital in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo have gone on strike over pay, even as the country’s Ebola outbreak has climbed past 2,000 confirmed cases, according to government figures released on Wednesday. Authorities say the epidemic is the fastest-growing on record.
The latest tally puts confirmed infections at 2,011, with 754 deaths, government data shows. Bunia is in the outbreak’s epicentre, and the hospital walkout adds to a series of labour stoppages by staff in the affected area.
The strike is the newest in a string of protests by medical workers who say they have not been paid. The outbreak has continued to spread while treatment and response efforts face pressure from staffing problems and the scale of the caseload.
Ebola is a severe viral disease that can spread quickly in health facilities and communities, making staffing and infection control central to the response in DR Congo.
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