Ebola outbreak in DR Congo spreads to two more provinces as hospital staff strike

Ebola response efforts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have been disrupted by a strike at Rwampara General Hospital in Ituri province, where staff say they have not been paid for months. The walkout came as officials confirmed that the virus has spread to two additional provinces in northern DRC. The hospital is treating Ebola patients in the area identified as the epicentre of the outbreak.

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Dozens of employees at the facility stopped work on Monday, including epidemiologists, case investigators, drivers and gravediggers. A health worker at the centre said staff had not been paid for two months, highlighting the immediate payroll dispute behind the strike. The National Public Health Institute said on Sunday that Ebola had reached Haut-Uele and Tshopo, both in the northeast of the country.

Health Minister Roger Kamba said last week that the government was working to resolve the payroll problems and ensure workers were paid. The disruption comes at a difficult moment for the outbreak response. According to the latest figures cited in the report, Ebola cases in the DRC have risen to 1,926, with 702 deaths.

The outbreak is described as the worst in Africa's history and has already caused severe economic damage, pushing nearly one million people into poverty, according to the United Nations. The World Health Organization has warned that an accelerated response from local, national and international partners is urgently needed to bring the outbreak under control. The spread to new provinces raises the stakes for containment in a region already affected by insecurity and mistrust.

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The response has been complicated by the presence of paramilitary rebels in parts of the area, where they seek access to valuable mineral deposits. Health workers have also faced attacks from communities that believe the disease is witchcraft, while some bereaved families have continued traditional burial ceremonies instead of following safety protocols. Those factors can make contact tracing, safe burials and patient isolation harder to sustain.

The outbreak has been concentrated in northern DRC, where public health teams have repeatedly faced operational and social obstacles. The current strike adds another layer of strain to a response that depends on local staff for surveillance, treatment and burial work. The payroll dispute also points to the fragility of frontline health services in an emergency that requires sustained coordination and funding.

In that context, the ability of authorities to keep treatment centres functioning is central to limiting further spread. What remains unclear is how long the strike at Rwampara General Hospital will last and whether the payroll dispute will be resolved quickly enough to restore full operations. It is also not yet clear how many additional cases may emerge in Haut-Uele and Tshopo as surveillance expands.

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