WHO chief visits DR Congo as Ebola outbreak worsens amid health workers’ strike

World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus visited the Democratic Republic of Congo on Wednesday as the country struggles to contain its rapidly expanding Ebola outbreak, while some frontline health workers have gone on strike over unpaid wages.

Tedros was scheduled to meet President Félix Tshisekedi and other partners in the capital, Kinshasa, during his second visit since the outbreak was declared in mid-May, according to the WHO’s country office.

The outbreak has so far infected 3,874 people and claimed 1,751 lives, according to figures released by Congo’s Ministry of Health on Monday.

The epidemic is centred in the eastern province of Ituri, where healthcare access has already been disrupted by armed conflict. Local residents say the strike by some frontline health workers has further complicated efforts to contain the disease.

Although some workers have begun receiving overdue payments in recent days, many continue to demand better wages.

Residents have expressed concern that the disruption to health services is hampering the response. One resident of Bunia, the provincial capital, said two of his brothers died from Ebola during the strike and urged authorities to resolve the issue quickly.

The current outbreak is the fastest-spreading Ebola epidemic on record and the second-largest overall after the 2014-16 West Africa outbreak, which infected more than 28,000 people and killed over 11,000.

The outbreak is being driven by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, for which there is currently no approved vaccine or specific treatment. Health officials believe the virus had been circulating in remote communities before the outbreak was officially declared on May 15.

Medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) warned on Wednesday that the outbreak continues to spread at an “alarming and unprecedented rate,” saying response efforts have yet to reach affected communities quickly enough to interrupt transmission.

Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention Director-General Dr Jean Kaseya said contact tracing remains ineffective, with 60 to 70 percent of new infections occurring outside known monitoring networks.

Health officials say delayed detection of cases has contributed to a fatality rate of about 45 percent. The Health Ministry reported 77 new cases in the previous 24 hours, including 44 deaths. Currently, 717 patients remain in isolation, while 749 people have recovered.