More health workers strike as Ebola cases in Congo near 3,000, including over 1,300 deaths

Health workers at an Ebola treatment center in eastern Congo went on strike Saturday, demanding their pay. The walkout disrupted care for patients in the epicenter of the country’s rapidly growing outbreak. The number of confirmed cases of Ebola in Congo has reached 2,973, including 1,309 deaths, according to government data released Friday in what authorities say is the fastest-growing outbreak on record. The Elikya Ebola Treatment Center in Bunia, in Ituri province, came to a standstill after doctors, nurses and security staff stopped work. About 100 health workers protested outside the treatment center Saturday. They said the unpaid bonuses were undermining morale and disrupting patient care, and called on Congolese authorities to resolve the back pay so they could resume their work. “We need to be paid, because in the meantime the disease is spreading at the treatment center,” said Martin Bolombi, one of the striking health workers.