Health workers at center of Congo's Ebola outbreak labor with little pay or rest

June 8, 2026 - 04:31

Health workers on the front lines of Congo's latest Ebola outbreak are operating with almost no support, as international agencies race to deliver aid into a volatile region. Many medical staff report working double shifts without overtime, sleeping in makeshift tents near treatment centers, and going weeks without seeing their families. Some have not been paid in over a month, relying on food donations from local communities to survive.

The outbreak, centered in a remote area of North Kivu province, has already claimed dozens of lives. But the people fighting it face dangers beyond the virus. Armed groups control parts of the territory, making supply routes unpredictable. Aid convoys have been delayed or turned back at checkpoints. One nurse told local reporters that she treats patients by flashlight when fuel for the generator runs out, which happens almost every night.

International health organizations acknowledge the shortfall. They say they are working to get more funding and personnel into the region, but security restrictions and bureaucratic hurdles slow everything down. Meanwhile, the workers keep going. They bury the dead, comfort the sick, and hope that the next shipment of gloves and masks arrives before they run out. For now, they say, they have no choice but to keep fighting a disease that does not wait for help to arrive.