‘There’s no salary’: DRC health workers tell of hardship as Ebola spreads

What the report says

Al Jazeera reports that health workers in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo are facing mounting danger and hardship as an Ebola outbreak spreads in Ituri province, near the Ugandan border. The WHO has warned the outbreak could become among the world’s most severe. According to the report, more than 2,500 cases and 1,000 deaths had been recorded by July 21, while Uganda had reported 20 cases and two deaths, with authorities saying its last confirmed patient had recovered by July 16.

The outbreak was officially declared on May 15, after weeks of undetected transmission, and involves the Bundibugyo strain, for which Al Jazeera says there are no approved vaccines or treatments. The response is complicated by armed conflict, weak disease surveillance, shortages of protective equipment and distrust in communities where some residents reject the existence or severity of Ebola. More than 100 health workers have reportedly been infected, and about 35 have died.

At Rwampara General Hospital near Bunia, which runs a major Ebola treatment centre, dozens of workers recently stopped work over unpaid salaries. Al Jazeera interviewed Paluku Audrey, a 29-year-old community engagement officer, who described walking long distances because she lacks transport money and facing threats while trying to explain prevention measures. She said residents had thrown stones and once detained her after accusing her of profiting from the outbreak.

The report also featured Ghislain Maneba, a 35-year-old epidemiologist at the Rwampara treatment centre, who helps move suspected patients for testing and care. The accounts underline how unpaid labour, personal infection risk and community hostility are straining frontline responders in a region already shaped by insecurity and low trust in authorities.