Death toll from DR Congo Ebola outbreak passes 500 as healthcare workers threaten strike

Death toll from DR Congo Ebola outbreak passes 500 as healthcare workers threaten strike The deadly Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has killed more than 500 people, the UN health agency's figures showed Monday. Healthcare workers in Ituri province, the heart of the outbreak, on Sunday issued a 24-hour notice threatening to strike if the government did not improve their working conditions and pay them promised benefits. More than 500 people have now died in the Ebola outbreak gripping the Democratic Republic of Congo, World Health Organization figures showed Monday. A newly updated count issued by the UN health agency showed that there have been 1,561 confirmed cases in the DR Congo since the outbreak was declared in mid-May, including 506 confirmed deaths. Two others have also died in neighbouring Uganda, where the situation is more stable. The country has seen 16 patients recover out of 20 total confirmed cases. The WHO's figures for the DR Congo, which come from the health authorities in the vast country, show that the outbreak there has a case fatality rate of 32 percent. Watch moreAuthorities race to contain spread of Ebola in eastern DR Congo A total of 254 patients have recovered, while 354 suspected cases of the viral haemorrhagic fever are currently under investigation. The outbreak is being driven by the rare Bundibugyo species of Ebola, for which there are no approved vaccines or treatments. The trial of two potential treatments for Bundibugyo began in the DR Congo on Thursday. The trial is evaluating the safety and effectiveness of the monoclonal antibody MBP134 and the antiviral drug remdesivir, alone and in combination. Breaking point Frontline workers deployed in Ituri province, the epicentre of the outbreak, issued a 24-hour notice on Sunday threatening to strike if authorities fail to pay them and improve their working conditions. The workers include mostly health professionals who have been labouring with little rest as they battle attacks from angry residents and widespread scepticism about the virus. In the notice to the government, a copy of which was seen by the Associated Press, the workers both in and outside hospitals said they had not been paid benefits since the outbreak began and they do not have adequate supplies for their work. They also complained of poor salaries, the "arrogance" of teams sent from Congo's capital of Kinshasa, and the “excessive” use of labour from other provinces without prioritising local labour in Ituri, as well as the lack of adequate equipment. The strike threats come just days after enrollment for clinical trials started. 'The threat never truly goes away' The milestone of 500 confirmed deaths comes as WHO member states reconvene to negotiate the missing section of the landmark pandemic agreement struck last year, aimed at avoiding a repeat of the international disarray in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. "The next pandemic will not wait for us to be ready," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned countries on Monday. "The Ebola outbreak still unfolding in the DRC right now is proof of that. It is not some distant, hypothetical scenario in a briefing document. It is happening. "Ebola may not be the next pandemic. But it is a reminder, a painful one, that the threat never truly goes away." The DRC's 17th Ebola outbreak was declared on May 15 after several unexplained deaths in mineral-rich but volatile Ituri, which is plagued by armed groups. The virus spreads through close contact and infected bodily fluids. (FRANCE 24 with AFP and AP) [Image text:] WAUSIKAYO AMBAO WATA TUNZA TUNA WEZA KUTEMBELEYA WAGONJWA NAKUWA TAZAMA KUNAWA MIKONO INAPIGANISHA VIZURI EBOLA KWENYE CT.E MATUNZO NI KWA BURE PAMOJATUNAWEZA EBOLA