Ebola deaths in Congo top 500 as health workers threaten to strike

Health workers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have threatened to go on strike (Dirole Lotsima Dieudonne/AP)

Mon, 06 Jul, 2026 - 14:16

Associated Press reporters

At least 500 people have died out of more than 1,500 confirmed cases in Congo’s Ebola outbreak, authorities said, as frontline workers threatened to go on strike on Monday over unpaid benefits and poor working conditions.

The outbreak has recorded 1,561 cases, including 506 deaths, since it was declared on May 15 as the spread continues to outpace response, Congo’s Ministry of Health said in its latest update on Sunday night.