Ebola Outbreak in DRC: Over 600 Dead, Cases Rise to 1,759
L'essentiel
- The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) reports over 600 deaths and 1,759 confirmed Ebola cases.
- Healthcare workers in Ituri province are protesting delayed payments and limited resources, threatening to strike amidst ongoing clinical trials for the Bundibugyo virus strain.
Résumé généré par IA
Pourquoi c'est important
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is facing a severe Ebola outbreak, with rising cases and deaths. Healthcare workers are protesting delayed payments and poor working conditions.
At least 600 people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have died from Ebola, as the number of confirmed cases of the illness rose to 1,759, according to government data.
The total numbers, released on Wednesday, were confirmed as of Tuesday, while 51 new cases and 20 deaths were recorded in the previous 24 hours.
The total of those infected does not include two cases of illness reported in Kisangani, the capital of the Tshopo province and one of the DRC’s biggest cities, as the test results were being validated, the government’s report said. They will be included in the official case total once confirmed.
One of those two cases is linked to the village of Nia-Nia in the Ituri province, where the first illnesses were reported. But the second illness “does not appear to have a geographic link” beyond Kisangani, according to the government.
As the situation worsens, healthcare workers in the Ituri province, the hardest-hit of the country’s three eastern regions affected by the outbreak, are walking off their jobs to protest against delay in payments.
In an official notice to national and provincial authorities over the weekend, front-line workers in Ituri threatened to strike if they were not paid in 24 hours. By Tuesday, some had already stopped working, although no official strike has been declared, The Associated Press news agency reported.
Some of the health professionals and other front-line workers told AP they had not been paid wages or bonuses since the Ebola outbreak was declared on May 15. They also said they were working with limited gear and treated unfairly by authorities and response teams.
“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 AP.
The strike comes at the start of the enrolment for clinical trials for the treatment of the Bundibugyo virus, which is responsible for this outbreak. The Bundibugyo strain of Ebola is generally considered less deadly than some others, but there is no approved vaccine.
Questions ouvertes
- Will healthcare workers go on official strike?
- How will the strike affect Ebola containment efforts?
- Will the government address worker demands promptly?
