The World Health Organization warned Wednesday that Congo's Ebola outbreak — already the fastest-growing in history — is being hampered by a severe shortage of health workers, particularly in the eastern province of North Kivu, where cases surged 73% over three weeks. The outbreak has spread across seven provinces, with 7,773 confirmed cases and 3,759 deaths, and the WHO says it is on track to surpass the 2014–2016 West Africa epidemic, the deadliest on record with more than 11,000 deaths. Treatment centres are being built but remain understaffed, worsened by a health workers' strike over unpaid wages, while children under five face a fatality rate exceeding 60%, making the crisis especially deadly for the most vulnerable.