They are disinfecting homes where Ebola victims died, wearing heavy protective gear seven days a week, but they say they haven't been paid for months, and now they are ready to walk away.

Imagine risking your life every single day to stop one of the deadliest viruses in the world, and not getting paid for it.

That is exactly what is happening in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where frontline health workers battling the latest Ebola outbreak say they have gone months without their salaries.

According to cbinews.tv, the situation has become so dire that many workers downed tools in July, raising serious fears that staff shortages could derail efforts to contain an outbreak that is already worse than the one in 2018.

One of those workers is Wiza Bondele, who is part of the Ebola infection prevention and control team. He also served during the 2018 outbreak. His job is as tough as it gets — disinfecting homes where Ebola victims have died to stop the virus from spreading further.

Bondele told cbinews.tv that workers were forced to launch a strike last month after authorities repeatedly ignored their complaints about unpaid wages and hazardous conditions.

And when some payments did finally come through, they were short-changed. Instead of the promised $510, some workers received just $380. Many others, he said, have received nothing at all.

The working conditions are brutal. Bondele described working seven days a week in heavy personal protective equipment, often for much longer than safety guidelines recommend. They are constantly exposed to patients with severe symptoms, including vomiting blood, with little support.

It is not just physically exhausting, it is emotionally draining too. Bondele said his biggest fear is not just getting infected himself, but taking the virus home to his family and community.

He admits he has thought about quitting, but for now he is holding on, hoping the authorities will finally honour their promise and pay them for the months they have already put in.

For families caught in the outbreak, the pain is already unbearable. Georgine Imani, who lost her father to Ebola, is appealing to authorities to do more to find effective treatment and bring the virus under control.

The warning signs are serious. The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has cautioned that this outbreak is tracking significantly worse than previous ones, and with frontline workers threatening to quit, containment could become even harder.

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