A health workers' union in the Democratic Republic of Congo has called for a nationwide general strike despite a severe Ebola outbreak in the east of the country.
The union is demanding higher pay, better working conditions and hazard allowances, saying the government failed to meet its demands during negotiations.
According to authorities, 9,144 Ebola cases have been confirmed in the country since mid-May, with 4,410 deaths recorded.
The African health authority, Africa CDC, has described it as the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak in history.
Union coordinator Damien Muhindo said the strike would also affect regions hit by the Ebola outbreak. Only minimum services would be maintained at Ebola treatment centres, with operations severely reduced and limited to emergency care and isolation wards.
Muhindo confirmed that the strike would disrupt essential services such as diagnosis, contact tracing and trials of antiviral treatments and a vaccine.
Dozens of Congolese health workers had already gone on strike in some Ebola-affected regions in August, demanding that their wages be paid on time. The workers complained that they had received neither salaries nor bonuses since the outbreak began.
Ebola is a life-threatening disease that spreads through direct contact with infected people and bodily fluids. It causes a highly infectious illness that can lead to severe fever, diarrhoea and bleeding.
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