Congo's unpaid Ebola heroes.
Congo Ebola frontline workers struggle with low pay and minimal rest.
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Frontline doctors and nurses in Mongbwalu, Democratic Republic of Congo, are fighting the deadliest Ebola outbreak in years — with little pay and almost no rest. Dr. Richard Lokudu, medical director of the Mongbwalu General Reference Hospital, said he has not received his allowance even as he works around the clock. "What happened to others could happen to me as well," he told Associated Press.
The outbreak — Congo's 17th ever — has already recorded more than 1,000 suspected cases and at least 246 suspected deaths, according to WHO. It is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, which has no licensed vaccine and no approved treatment. WHO declared it a global health emergency on May 17.
A Deadly Outbreak With No Vaccine and No Pay
The Bundibugyo virus was confirmed on May 15 after lab tests in Kinshasa. Unlike the more common Zaire strain, this version of Ebola has no approved vaccine. Doctors can only isolate patients and manage symptoms. At least four health workers died within a single four-day stretch in May at the Mongbwalu hospital alone, according to WHO.
Dr. Lokudu said the toll on staff is severe. "People are sacrificing their rest and comfort for this cause," he said, per Associated Press. "There should be recognition that they deserve compensation." The hospital sits at the center of a dense gold-mining town in Ituri province, where migrant workers live in cramped camps with little sanitation — ideal conditions for Ebola to spread.
Community Attacks and Patients Fleeing Isolation
The response has been hurt by deep community mistrust. On May 24–25, angry crowds attacked the Mongbwalu hospital to take back bodies of loved ones, and an isolation tent was burned down, according to WCMU. Many locals believe Ebola is a "mystic illness" or a conspiracy by hospital staff. Traditional burial practices — which involve close contact with the body — help spread the virus.
On May 20, symptomatic patients escaped from the hospital, creating new chains of infection, ABC News reported. Dr. Richard Kojan, president of the medical group ALIMA, did not mince words. "The outbreak is completely out of control," he said.
Aid Money Pledged but Slow to Arrive on the Ground
The U.S. State Department has pledged $162 million to fight the outbreak. But NGOs say the money has not reached workers in time. MSF's Deputy Director of Operations Dr. Alan Gonzalez said logistical problems and too little testing capacity are "impeding the rapid scale-up of the response," according to MSF.
Oxfam's DRC country director Manenji Mangundu was blunt. "The mechanism is broken," he told The Guardian. "Now, we are just not seeing the resources coming in as we would want." Critics point to 2025 cuts to USAID programs and U.S. CDC staffing as reasons why the outbreak was not caught earlier, leaving local surveillance systems dangerously underfunded.
Outbreak Crosses Borders as Region Braces for Wider Spread
The virus has already moved beyond Congo's borders. On June 1, Uganda confirmed cases in Kampala and Wakiso district linked to travel from the DRC, according to ECDC. Women make up over 60% of cases, largely because they serve as caregivers and prepare bodies for burial, per CARE.
On June 5, Africa CDC and WHO launched a joint continental response plan. Active conflict with M23 rebels in eastern Congo makes the situation worse. Displaced civilians are moving into areas where the virus is active, making contact tracing nearly impossible, according to CBC.
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