Health workers battling the largest recorded Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) face severe challenges, including unpaid salaries and rising infection risks, as cases continue to surge in the country’s northeast. Nurses, hygiene workers, and other frontline staff have expressed deep concern over their safety and financial insecurity amid an epidemic that has claimed over 2,500 lives to date.

At the Elikya treatment centre in Bunia, the capital of Ituri province—the hardest-hit region—nurses Sophie Mwadawa Kabundo and Martin Bolombi described the daily pressures of working in an overstretched health system. Both said they had not received full payment for their work, with Bolombi noting he had only been paid for one month since May and that staff staged protests last month to demand overdue bonuses. Kabundo highlighted the emotional toll on workers fearing infection and the risk of transmitting the virus to their families.

The crisis unfolds in a region marked by decades of conflict, which has compounded the humanitarian complexity and limited infrastructure necessary to contain the outbreak. Julien Harneis, the senior United Nations Ebola coordinator, emphasized the urgency of bolstering resources, warning last week that current funds could be depleted within weeks. He reported that 160 healthcare workers had contracted Ebola, with 43 fatalities among them, underlining the peril faced by those responding to the growing epidemic.

The World Health Organization (WHO) projects that this outbreak could surpass the 2014-2016 West African epidemic in scale. That earlier outbreak recorded more than 28,600 infections and 11,325 fatalities, primarily across Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. The DRC cases involve a rare Bundibugyo strain of the virus, for which no approved vaccine or treatment currently exists, though trials are ongoing.

Health workers are enduring long hours amid escalating patient numbers and logistical challenges that, while improved since the outbreak began, remain insufficient to meet growing needs. Despite the difficulties, Kabundo expressed cautious optimism over the number of recoveries observed at her treatment centre.

Efforts to control Ebola are further undermined by widespread mistrust and misinformation in affected communities. Fear and uncertainty have led some individuals to avoid health centres until symptoms become severe or to seek care outside official channels, unintentionally facilitating new transmission clusters. Attacks on health facilities and ambulances have also been reported.

Charitable organizations working on the ground, such as Médecins Sans Frontières and Mercy Corps, cite a lack of community engagement as a critical barrier to halting the spread. Dr. Eddy Kambale Kahandukya, Médecins Sans Frontières’ deputy medical coordinator in the DRC, noted that patients waiting for test results often remain hidden in communities, increasing transmission risks. Manon Dumortier, an emergency coordinator with Mercy Corps, described how fear has fueled rumors and speculation amid the high mortality rate and rapid disease progression.

The WHO declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern in May. Subsequent genetic analyses indicate the outbreak began months earlier, in February. The virus has spread to six of the DRC’s 26 provinces, with the majority of cases concentrated in Ituri, which borders Uganda and South Sudan. Uganda reported 20 cases and two deaths in its capital, Kampala, but declared itself Ebola-free on July 28 after the final patient, a Congolese national, was discharged on July 16.

Efforts continue to seek increased funding, improved community engagement, and support for healthcare workers as the DRC grapples with this escalating health crisis. The Congolese health ministry has not yet responded to requests for comment regarding the ongoing challenges faced by frontline staff.