Congo Ebola Deaths Reach 506 as Health Workers Threaten Strike

Congo health authorities recorded 506 deaths among 1,561 confirmed Ebola cases as of Sunday night. The outbreak, declared May 15, has now spread to three eastern provinces. Frontline workers in Ituri province, the outbreak's center, gave authorities a 24-hour notice on Sunday that they will strike unless they receive unpaid benefits and better supplies.

The workers said they have not been paid since the outbreak began and lack adequate equipment.

The notice listed complaints about low salaries, teams sent from Kinshasa, and hiring of workers from other provinces instead of local residents. It also cited insufficient protective gear and rest periods. The strike threat comes days after clinical trial enrollment began.

Officials have not yet identified the first case or traced thousands of contacts. No approved vaccine or treatment exists for the Bundibugyo virus strain causing this outbreak. Congo's 16 prior outbreaks were mostly caused by the Zaire strain, which has a vaccine.