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Health Workers in Bunia Strike Over Unpaid Stipends; Government Reports Rapid Ebola Response
Workers in the eastern Congolese city protested nonpayment for more than a month and deteriorating conditions on the same day the capital issued assurances of a strong response. The outbreak, declared May 15, has infected 112 health workers and killed 35, according to Africa CDC figures reported by Le Monde.
Jul 10, 5:54 PM·1m read1 source
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Health workers in Bunia went on strike July 10, protesting the nonpayment of stipends for more than a month and worsening working conditions. The action occurred in the capital of Ituri province, which accounts for more than 90 percent of cases in the current Bundibugyo Ebola virus disease outbreak.
Le Monde reported that the strike unfolded the same day Patrick Muyaya, the Congolese minister of communication, told the newspaper that the government had fully grasped the scale of the challenge and provided a robust financial and logistical response in a very short time.
Kinshasa lies 3,000 kilometers by road from Bunia. Congolese authorities declared the outbreak on May 15. It is the 17th Ebola outbreak recorded in the Democratic Republic of Congo since the disease was first identified in 1976.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention recorded 112 health-worker infections and 35 deaths among them during the current outbreak. Le Monde noted that an eight-year-old girl who died from the virus was buried in Bunia on June 21. The report contrasted official statements from the capital with conditions described by workers on the ground.
