The International Council of Nurses (ICN) has issued a urgent plea to Congolese authorities to immediately compensate and safeguard healthcare workers battling Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In a statement released Friday, the ICN—representing over 140 national nursing associations and 30 million nurses worldwide—highlighted the critical need to address unpaid salaries and inadequate protection for frontline responders.

The DRC declared its 17th Ebola outbreak on May 15, yet healthcare systems remain severely under-resourced, struggling to contain the virus. “You cannot fight Ebola without paying those leading the charge,” stressed ICN CEO Howard Catton. “Nurses and other health professionals risk their lives daily to protect communities, often at great personal cost, yet many still await unpaid wages months into this crisis.”

The ICN, founded in 1899 and headquartered in Geneva, has formally urged DR Congo’s Health Minister Roger Kamba to implement immediate measures: settle outstanding payments, ensure regular salary disbursements, and provide critical protective gear, insurance, hazard allowances, and other essential safeguards.

ICN reports that frontline nurses and health workers have gone without pay for two to three months, exacerbating an already dire situation. “This demands urgent political leadership,” Catton emphasized. “The message is clear: pay healthcare workers what they are owed, commit to consistent future payments, and equip them with the tools they need to do their jobs safely.”

The current outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo variant, has already claimed over 2,128 lives from 4,566 confirmed cases within three months—far surpassing the scale of previous epidemics. Only 264 million dollars of the 518 million required for the joint response plan, launched in early June by the Africa CDC and WHO, have been mobilized.

No specific vaccine or treatment exists for the Bundibugyo strain, though WHO has proposed initiating clinical trials using the Ervebo vaccine, which is approved for the Zaire strain. “We are finalizing the protocol for review by DR Congo’s regulatory authorities,” noted Vasee Moorthy, WHO’s R&D program lead.

With the outbreak spreading faster than any prior Ebola epidemic, the WHO warns it could eclipse the 2014–2016 West Africa crisis. The Africa CDC reports seven times more cases and five times more deaths in the DRC’s first three months than in the same period during the deadliest outbreak in history.