DRC Ebola cases surpass 2,000 as more health workers begin strike

The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has reached 2,011 confirmed cases with 754 deaths, while healthcare workers in the affected region have begun striking over compensation and working condition grievances. Healthcare workers at Bunia General Hospital in the northeastern Ituri province initiated a strike on Wednesday, blocking hospital entrances to protest months of unpaid wages despite working under extremely difficult conditions. Similar strikes occurred earlier in the region, with dozens of healthcare workers including epidemiologists and grave diggers at Rwampara General Hospital walking off their jobs on Monday citing lack of payment for months.

Medical charity Doctors Without Borders characterizes the current outbreak as the third largest and fastest-growing Ebola outbreak on record. The World Health Organization warned on Tuesday that official death tolls may underestimate actual mortality by two to four times. The outbreak began on May 15 and is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the virus, for which no vaccine or treatment currently exists.

World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced that the first clinical trial testing an antiviral drug's ability to prevent infection in those exposed to the Bundibugyo virus launched on Tuesday. He stated that if the drug proves effective among high-risk contacts following exposure, it could represent a major advancement in preventing Ebola BVD infection.