BUNIA, Congo (AP) 鈥� Wiza Bondele goes to work every day at a hospital in Congo with one goal in mind: to slow the fastest-growing outbreak on record.
At an Ebola treatment hospital in the eastern Ituri province, the epicenter of Congo’s ongoing outbreak, Bondele disinfects contaminated areas, checks visitors鈥� temperatures and enforces handwashing protocols 鈥� work that puts him at risk of getting infected.
But like hundreds of other front-line health workers, including burial teams and drivers, Bondele says he has been working without pay since the outbreak was declared in mid-May in one of Congo鈥檚 most remote and .
has been a key source of concern in the outbreak. The payment issues and attacks on health teams and facilities have forced some health workers to walk off the job, disrupting critical care in the outbreak that authorities say continues to spread at an alarming rate and faster than efforts to track it.
Ebola spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected people or contaminated materials, a risk Bondele is well aware of.
鈥淪ometimes patients are bleeding or vomiting blood. We clean and disinfect those places,鈥� the 29-year-old infection control worker told The Associated Press while on duty. 鈥淲ith risks like that, we deserve salaries.鈥�
Confirmed cases in the outbreak have exceeded 4,000, including over 1,800 deaths, according to the latest government data. It is the , behind the 2014-2016 West Africa outbreak that recorded more than 28,000 cases, including over 11,000 deaths. Another from 2018-2020 killed at least 2,200.
This outbreak has been linked to the , for which there are currently or treatments.
Workers continue despite financial strain
A veteran of Bondele returned when the virus resurfaced, believing his experience could help protect his community in Ituri, which accounts for .
Instead, he found himself among many workers who have continued reporting for duty without receiving the monthly salary of $510 that Bondele said they were promised.
Officials have told them that the outstanding payments will be made, he said. Workers have registered their numbers to get paid through mobile money transactions, signed attendance sheets and waited for payment notifications, but only some were eventually paid.
Bondele said even colleagues who were paid have told him they have not received the full amount.
Congolese authorities did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday. Officials in the past have blamed logistical issues for the payment delays.
Without his salary, paying rent, buying food, phone credit, covering transport costs and paying water bills have all become daily struggles. He also supports his wife, child and other relatives, responsibilities he says have become increasingly difficult to meet.
One morning, the hardship became painfully visible.
Setting off for work on his motorcycle, Bondele said he ran out of fuel along the way. With no money to refill the tank, he left the bike with neighbors and walked the remaining 13 kilometers (8 miles) to the hospital. By the time he arrived, he said his shoes had fallen apart.
Despite the unpaid wages and hardship, Bondele and hundreds of workers continue to show up to the hospital seven days a week. He said his work is too important to abandon.
鈥淚 hope their conscience tells them that I deserve to be paid,鈥� Bondele said, referring to officials.
Strikes and protests have led to disruptions
Bondele was among hundreds of Ebola response workers in Bunia who staged strikes and protests over unpaid wages in recent weeks, at times abandoning health facilities and disrupting parts of the response as the outbreak continued to spread.
鈥淲e realized they (the authorities) weren鈥檛 doing anything, and that鈥檚 when we went on strike,鈥� he said.
They warned that unpaid wages were undermining morale and affecting patient care. In a statement, staff at one treatment center said they would remain on strike until 鈥渃oncrete solutions鈥� were found to resolve months of unpaid wages and bonuses.
Dr. Adelard Lufungula, operations manager for the government’s Ebola response, said last month that the payment problem was being resolved, with workers now paid through mobile money instead of cash and the backlog expected to be cleared soon.
For Bondele, the explanations have done little to ease the uncertainty.
鈥淚 wonder whether it is injustice or whether there simply isn鈥檛 enough money,鈥� he said.
Insecurity and residents鈥� mistrust complicate the response
The strikes come as the Ebola response is already battling armed conflict, widespread misinformation and deep public mistrust, all of which have made it harder for health workers to contain the outbreak.
鈥淚t is very difficult to get people to understand,鈥� Bondele said. 鈥淪ometimes while raising awareness I can be threatened or beaten, and I have to run away.鈥�
Some communities continue resisting basic prevention measures such as regular handwashing, he said.
Restrictions on traditional burials, where families are prevented from touching the highly contagious bodies of loved ones, have fueled resentment in some communities. Rumors claim that the virus is a hoax, that health workers are profiting from the outbreak or that hospitals are withholding lifesaving treatments.
The misinformation has repeatedly turned violent. Angry crowds have torched Ebola treatment centers, stormed hospitals to retrieve relatives鈥� bodies and attacked teams carrying out safe burials. Health officials say the mistrust has also made contact tracing and early treatment more difficult, particularly in remote communities affected by rebel violence.
As visitors line up for temperature checks and disinfectant is sprayed to keep the virus at bay, Bondele continues the work he says he joined out of passion.
鈥淲orking this job takes a lot of courage,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut today, I am discouraged.鈥�
___
Banchereau reported from Dakar, Senegal.
___
For more on Africa and development:
The Associated Press receives financial support for global health and development coverage in Africa from the Gates Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP鈥檚 for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at .
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
