More than 4,000 people have died in Congo's Ebola outbreak, with health authorities reporting 4,018 deaths from 8,300 confirmed cases as efforts to contain the rapidly spreading virus face growing challenges.
The latest figures released by the Health Ministry on Thursday show that deaths account for nearly half of the confirmed cases in what has become the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak in history.
Congo declared the outbreak on May 15 after detecting the rare Bundibugyo virus, for which there is currently no known treatment or vaccine.
Meanwhile, health workers gathered in Bunia, the capital of northeastern Ituri province and the epicentre of the outbreak, to protest unpaid wages.
The protesters, including members of surveillance teams responsible for identifying people who may have been exposed to infected patients, were quickly dispersed by officials.
They carried placards reading, “No money, no data!” and “No payment for months.”
Front-line health workers have staged several strikes since the outbreak began, demanding payment of their outstanding wages, further disrupting efforts to control the disease.
An aid worker with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), also known as Doctors Without Borders, has contracted Ebola while working in Congo, the organisation said.
The worker was flown to the Netherlands on a special medical flight and arrived late Thursday before being transferred to a high-level isolation unit at the Leiden University Medical Center.
MSF said the crisis had imposed an unprecedented human cost on the Democratic Republic of Congo, with communities facing the country's largest Ebola outbreak on record.
More than 50 health workers have died after contracting the virus.
The World Health Organization has warned of the rapid spread of Ebola into new health zones, putting additional pressure on already limited resources.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said the number of newly confirmed cases was declining, although the drop could partly be linked to insecurity and difficulties in securing community cooperation in some affected areas.
Tensions surrounding the outbreak were further highlighted by the killing of a Congolese politician who had supported government measures to tackle the disease.
Marie-Célestin Karondwa, a local official of the ruling Union for Democracy and Social Progress party, was attacked at his home in Butembo, an Ebola hotspot in eastern North Kivu province, on Sunday. His house was later set on fire, and he died in hospital from injuries sustained in the attack.
Widespread mistrust of health workers and government authorities has complicated efforts to contain Congo's 17th Ebola outbreak.
Authorities launched a village-centred response approach last month, but the initiative has encountered resistance from some residents who reject Ebola as a hoax.
Distrust of the government also remains deep, fueled by concerns over its handling of previous Ebola outbreaks and longstanding allegations of corruption.