An invisible shadow of sickness looms over the Democratic Republic of the Congo, far larger than official records dare suggest.
The World Health Organization warns the true scale of the raging Ebola outbreak is likely double the reported tally.
At least 719 people have died, but most victims slip away quietly at home, far from any medical registry.
A dark, silent tide is rising across the country’s eastern provinces as the virus spreads with unprecedented speed.
This relentless onslaught is driven by the rare Bundibugyo strain, an enemy for which no vaccine currently exists.
Yet, the thin white line of defense is buckling under the weight of broken promises and empty pockets.
Exhausted healthcare workers at the epicentre are burning tyres, threatening a total strike over unpaid salaries of two months.
These doctors continue to touch the dying out of professional conscience, despite working in incredibly perilous conditions.
Over one hundred medical staff have already contracted the virus, and dozens have paid with their own lives.
The government blames administrative errors for the delayed payments, promising to scrub false names from the official payroll.
International partners have rallied $1.5 billion, but the lifesaving funds are failing to reach those on the frontlines.
Meanwhile, the viral threat begins to spill across borders, creeping quietly into neighboring Uganda as panic begins to spread.