On Saturday, health workers in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) went on strike due to unpaid bonuses, coinciding with the confirmed Ebola cases surpassing 3,000.
The strike affected the Eliquia Ebola Treatment Center in Bunia, the capital city of Ituri province, which is at the heart of the Ebola outbreak. Employees indicated that they collectively decided to strike on Friday because they hadn’t received performance bonuses for two months. The following day, around 100 protesters gathered outside the center.
“Salaries must be paid. The disease is moving quickly here. Five patients have died in the treatment center already. We need a resolution,” said Martin Borombi, a medical worker.
Interestingly, Eliquia’s strike represents the second protest this month among disheartened health workers. Earlier, on July 15, Bunia General Hospital, the region’s largest medical facility, also faced a strike due to unpaid wages and inadequate safety conditions.
In that incident, hospital staff not only left their jobs but also barricaded the entrance, effectively shutting down operations. The Eliquia center confirmed that the strike rendered its services “largely paralyzed.” Some striking workers even raised concerns that the bodies of at least five individuals who succumbed to Ebola were still inside the facility.
The Eliquia workers initiated their strike just a day after a visit from Prime Minister Judith Suminwa, who was assessing the government’s response to the outbreak. During her visit to Mongbwal, a severely impacted town, medical staff confronted her about their unpaid salaries.
A nurse mentioned that she hadn’t received her salary for two months. In Bunia, Suminwa defended the government’s efforts, stating that over $50 million had been allocated, with additional funds on the way from international partners.
“Right now, we need to focus on logistics,” she said.
Additionally, Suminwa noted that government researchers are working on vaccines and treatments for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, which currently has no vaccine. She anticipated that new treatments could be available in about two to four months, albeit without further details.
On Saturday, Dr. Adelardo Hufangula, an Ebola response manager, mentioned that the issue of unpaid wages was being addressed through a mobile funding system, suggesting that the outstanding salaries should be settled shortly.
As reported by the government, the number of confirmed Ebola cases had increased to 3,200, with 1,405 fatalities.
Meanwhile, in the UK, the first volunteers for a new Ebola vaccine participated in a trial on Friday. This vaccine was developed by the Oxford Vaccine Group, using technology similar to that of the AstraZeneca vaccine for COVID-19.
Edmund Hunt, who was among the first trial participants, expressed his motivation by saying, “I knew what was happening in the DRC and the toll Ebola was taking.”
Peter Skydemore, the lead physician for the study, described the vaccination of the first participant as a significant milestone. Even though this is an early phase, it’s a crucial step in evaluating vaccine effectiveness in humans.
“As we progress over the coming months, we will continue to vaccinate, monitor participants closely, and evaluate the safety and immune response of the vaccine,” Dr. Skydemore stated.
In another bit of hopeful news, research published in the New England Journal of Medicine indicated that some Ebola vaccines developed for the Zaire strain might produce antibodies that could be beneficial against the Bundibugyo strain.
This is noteworthy because the Zaire and Bundibugyo strains are genetically distinct, which is partly why the latter was able to spread unnoticed for several critical weeks before being officially declared an epidemic back in May.
Researchers have discovered that stockpiling Ebola vaccines could yield “cross-reactive antibodies” in the blood of those infected with the Bundibugyo strain. These antibodies might offer some protective benefits, even if older vaccines are not much help to individuals already infected with Ebola.
