Staff at DR Congo Ebola centre strike as virus continues spreading

Walkout over late payments comes as public health officials confirm that the virus has reached two more provinces.Staff at a hospital treating Ebola patients in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have gone on strike, alleging they have not been paid for months, bringing the facility to a standstill.Dozens of employees at Rwampara General Hospital in Ituri province, the epicentre of the outbreak, walked off the job on Monday. The strike action came as authorities revealed that the virus has spread to two further provinces in northern DRC.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Q&A: Why humanitarian aid is crucial to stopping the Ebola outbreaklist 2 of 3UN warns Ebola could cost Africa $3.6bn and jobslist 3 of 3On the front line of Congo’s Ebola outbreakend of listThe striking workers included epidemiologists, case investigators, drivers and gravediggers.“We don’t know how it is possible to not have been paid for two months,” Bahati Claude, a health worker at the centre, told The Associated Press.The outbreak, concentrated in northern DRC, is 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.Efforts to hold back the spread of the virus have been complicated by the presence of paramilitary rebels, who control parts of the region in a bid to access its valuable mineral deposits.The response to the outbreak has also been complicated by misinformation, deeply rooted burial practices and a lack of trust in health officials.Health workers have been attacked by communities that believe the disease is a form of witchcraft, while bereaved families have ignored safety protocols by holding traditional burial ceremonies.DRC’s National Public Health Institute confirmed on Sunday that the virus has spread to two new northeastern provinces: Haut-Uele and Tshopo.