Ebola outbreak: Death toll in Congo passes 4,000
The Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo has surpassed 4,000 deaths, marking it as the fastest-growing epidemic of the virus in history. Health workers are currently protesting over unpaid wages, further complicating containment efforts in the region.
Why it matters
The combination of a severe health crisis and administrative failures in conflict-prone regions poses a significant threat to global health security.
A health care worker in protective clothing is disinfected by a colleague inside a treatment center for Ebola patients in eastern Congo late last month. Sebastien Kitsa Musayi/STAT By Associated Press
BUNIA, Congo — Congo’s Ebola outbreak has killed more than 4,000 people, authorities said, as they struggle to contain what has become the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak in history .
The latest figures released by the Health Ministry on Thursday showed that 4,018 people have died among 8,300 cases recorded since the outbreak was declared in eastern Congo on May 15.
Some health workers, meanwhile, gathered at the epicenter in Ituri Province to demand payment for wages owed them. The protesters, who included surveillance team members, waved placards saying, “No money, no data!” and “No payment for months.”
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