Ebola Dispatch

Healthcare workers at the epicenter of Congo’s Ebola outbreak are walking off their jobs to protest delays in their payments. The strike threatens efforts to slow the outbreak that officials say continues to spread faster than the response. The latest government data shows the outbreak has 1,708 recorded cases, including 580 deaths. The work stoppage comes at the start of enrollment for clinical trials for the treatment of the Bundibugyo virus that is responsible for this outbreak. In an official notice to authorities over the weekend, front-line workers in Ituri threatened to strike if the wages were not paid in 24 hours. By Tuesday, some had already stopped working although no official strike has been declared.