Nursing federation demands proper pay, protection on Ebola front line

The Democratic Republic of Congo is currently grappling with its 17th Ebola outbreak, which has so far resulted in 4,566 confirmed cases, including 2,128 deaths and 918 recoveries. Healthcare workers have unfortunately been among those who have contracted and succumbed to the deadly disease. The International Council of Nurses (ICN) has called on the DRC authorities to ensure that the fighting Ebola is properly compensated and protected, as many nurses and other health workers have gone unpaid for up to three months while facing significant risks to their lives.

ICN chief executive Howard Catton emphasized that "you cannot fight Ebola if you don't pay the people fighting it." The ICN's demands include the provision of adequate personal protective equipment, immediate action on pay, including outstanding wages and risk allowances, insurance, and compensation. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is working with local communities to ensure the response is understood, accepted, and supported.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has stated that this latest Ebola outbreak is spreading faster than any before, with the current pace likely to surpass the 2014-2016 West African outbreak, which claimed over 11,000 lives. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus highlighted that most deaths have occurred in communities rather than treatment units, and called for a threefold increase in treatment capacity, as well as the recruitment and training of additional health workers.

Ebola is transmitted through contact with bodily fluids and causes a haemorrhagic fever. The Bundibugyo species of Ebola, responsible for this outbreak, has no approved vaccines or treatments.