The International Council of Nurses (ICN), the world’s largest nursing organization, has urgently called on Congolese authorities to compensate and safeguard healthcare workers on the frontline of the Ebola response in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The DRC declared its 17th Ebola outbreak on May 15, but three months into the epidemic, the health response remains severely under-resourced. Healthcare systems in one of the world’s poorest nations are struggling to contain the virus.

“You cannot fight Ebola without paying those who are leading the battle,” declared Howard Catton, ICN Chief Executive Officer. The Geneva-based federation represents over 140 national nursing associations and more than 30 million nurses worldwide.

“Nurses and other healthcare professionals risk their lives daily to protect communities, often at great personal cost. Yet, months into this crisis, many still await their salaries,” he added.

In a formal letter to Dr. Roger Kamba, DRC’s Minister of Health, the ICN demanded immediate action to ensure unpaid wages and risk allowances for nurses and other health workers battling the outbreak.

According to the ICN, frontline healthcare staff report going without pay for two to three months.

“This situation demands urgent political leadership and direct intervention. Our message is clear: pay healthcare workers what they are owed, guarantee regular payments moving forward, and provide the protection they need to do their jobs safely,” Catton emphasized.

Beyond immediate salary payments, the ICN is urging authorities to ensure consistent future compensation and supply adequate personal protective equipment (PPE), insurance, risk allowances, and other essential safeguards.

The current Ebola outbreak has already become the second deadliest in history. As of the latest official figures, it has claimed over 2,128 lives from 4,566 confirmed cases—just three months after being declared. This represents seven times more cases and five times more deaths than in the first three months of the West Africa Ebola outbreak, the deadliest on record.

“This is now the second-largest Ebola epidemic ever recorded, and it is spreading faster than any before. At the current rate, it is on track to surpass the 2014–2016 West Africa outbreak,” warned Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO).

Despite a combined appeal for $518 million launched in early June by the Africa CDC and WHO to fund the response, only $264 million has been mobilized so far.

There is currently no approved vaccine or treatment for the Bundibugyo strain driving this outbreak. In the absence of a specific solution, the WHO is pushing for a clinical trial using the Ervebo vaccine, which is approved for the Zaire strain.

“We are preparing to submit the clinical trial protocol for regulatory review to authorities in the DRC,” stated Vasee Moorthy, Head of WHO’s Research & Development program.