DR Congo short of health workers as it battles 'out-of-control' Ebola outbreak

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is experiencing history's fastest-growing Ebola outbreak, but the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned the country is short of staff needed for treatment centres.

The eastern province of North Kivu, where cases have surged 73% over three weeks, is particularly affected, the WHO said.

The warning comes despite signs of improvement in other provinces, including Ituri, the outbreak's epicentre.

The Ebola outbreak has spread to seven provinces, with 7,773 confirmed cases and 3,759 deaths, according to the latest government figures.

The shortage of staff comes after frontline workers went on strike over unpaid wages.

Back in July, health minister Roger Kamba said that the government was verifying payroll lists after the names of people not involved in the response were added.

Frontline workers said officials promised to pay the arrears, but some workers received nothing and others only part of what they were owed.

Catherine Smallwood, the WHO's Ebola incident manager, said cases and deaths had begun declining in North Kivu after several weeks of increases.

But while treatment beds are being added daily, facilities still lack enough staff and partners to operate them.

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"The human resources gap is one of the biggest gaps," Ms Smallwood said.

Anne Ancia, a WHO representative in DRC, said one Ebola treatment centre requires about 300 health professionals, including anaesthetists, hygienists, nurses and general practitioners.

"We are building Ebola treatment centres but do not always have the human resources needed to operate them," Ms Ancia said. "Those health workers must be paid."

Between 31 August and 20 September, cases fell 26% in Ituri province and 15% in Haut-Uele, said Marie Roseline Belizaire, the WHO's regional emergency director for Africa.

But transmission patterns vary widely and the outbreak remains uncontrolled, she added.

"While cases and deaths are declining in some provinces, they continue to rise in others," Ms Belizaire said. "The outbreak is still not under control and remains spread across a wide geographic area."

The outbreak in DRC is, according to the WHO, on track to surpass the 2014-2016 West Africa Ebola outbreak, which was the deadliest on record with more than 11,000 people killed, primarily in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

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