In Congo, doctors face Ebola with little protection: "We live with fear"

HealthWatch In Congo, doctors face Ebola with little protection: "We live with fear" .chip { background-image: url('/fly/bundles/cbsnewscore/images/chip-bgd/chip-bgd-healthwatch.jpg'); } By Amy Maxmen June 5, 2026 / 5:00 AM EDT / KFF Health News Add CBS News on Google Harrowing scenes are unfolding at health facilities at the epicenter of an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo.A 25-year-old midwife and a doctor in his early 30s are sick with Ebola symptoms, including fevers and severe joint pain, said their colleague Elisabeth Furaha, the medical director at SOFEPADI's Karibuni Wa Mama Medical Center in the northeastern province of Ituri.They had cared for patients with similar symptoms in early May, before the outbreak was detected. One of the patients is now dead, Furaha said, and none of them has been tested for Ebola, even though samples were taken. The hospital still lacks access to tests, and an adequate supply of protective gowns and plastic masks to keep doctors and nurses safe."We live with fear in our stomachs," Furaha said, speaking in French. "Every day, there are healthcare providers and patients dying."The outbreak took the world by surprise, with nearly 250 suspected Ebola cases and 80 deaths by the time Ebola was confirmed in Congo. Disturbed by the extent of silent transmission, and by cases in neighboring Uganda, the head of the World Health Organization sounded the group's highest alarm on May 17, declaring the outbreak a "public health emergency of international concern." That triggered donations from around the globe, including a pledge of more than $162 million from the U.S. State Department to "stop the outbreak at its source and ensure Ebola does not reach the United States."But despite international attention, doctors in northeastern Congo say that many clinics lack even rudimentary supplies: gloves, protective gowns, masks, Ebola tests, and even clean water. Without rapid action to bolster those on the front line, resear...