WHO warns DR Congo Ebola outbreak may be double the official tally

UN health agency warns of underreported cases while doctors at outbreak epicentre threaten to go on strike.The ⁠true ⁠number of Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is likely ⁠at least double the official tally, according to a World Health Organization (WHO) official.The WHO has confirmed at least 1,963 cases, ⁠and at least 719 ⁠have died.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Ebola death toll in DR Congo surpasses 500list 2 of 3Confirmed Ebola deaths in DR Congo hit 600list 3 of 3Staff at DR Congo Ebola centre strike as virus continues spreadingend of listSpeaking after visiting the region, Chikwe Ihekweazu, the Executive Director of the WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme, said most deaths occurred in the family environment and not in medical centres.“We think, with some of our support and modelling, the scale of the outbreak ⁠is at least ⁠2-4 times the number of cases we are finding,” Ihekweazu told reporters in Geneva on Tuesday. ⁠As of July 12, 727 patients were being treated in Ebola treatment centres across the areas affected by the epidemic, which experts say is the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak ever recorded on the continent.Healthcare workers threaten to strikeEfforts to contain the outbreak face growing challenges as doctors and health workers in the affected areas in the DRC threatened to go on strike over the non-payment of their salaries.At the Ebola treatment centre in Rwampara, one of the hardest-hit areas, healthcare workers burned a tyre in protest on Monday and temporarily blocked access routes, the AFP news agency reported.The facility is located in Ituri province, the epicentre of the Ebola outbreak, where at least 384 cases have been confirmed, including 89 deaths.DRC’s National Institute of Public Health said healthcare workers accounted for a significant number of Ebola cases, including 112 transmissions and 35 deaths by Sunday.“Since May 15, we have been caring for Ebola patients without pay. We continue to treat them because of our oath, but we are working under very difficult conditions,” Pascal Bahoya, a physician at the Rwampara centre, told AFP on Monday.