Congo Ebola frontline health workers face low pay and exhaustion amid outbreak

Dr. Richard Lokudu, medical director of Mongbwalu General Referral Hospital, says he and his colleagues are receiving almost no compensation while treating patients in the current Ebola outbreak.

Workers report staying on duty for days without a break to eat, receiving alerts of suspected cases even late at night, and fearing they may become infected despite strict infection-prevention measures.

Health officials say the outbreak, caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain, emerged silently in the mining town of Mongbwalu in Ituri province. The gold-mining environment, with muddy pools, narrow pits and crowded camps, creates conditions that facilitate virus spread.