Frontline health workers in the Democratic Republic of Congo are facing strong community anger and mistrust as they respond to a new Ebola outbreak. Experts spoke about the situation at an international media briefing organised by the Global Virus Network on Wednesday 10 June. As of 11 June the DRC had recorded 635 confirmed cases and 127 deaths, and the country continues to contend with malaria, HIV, cholera and malnutrition.
Speakers said a breakdown of trust is a major obstacle. Marie Roseline Bélizaire, acting emergency director at the WHO regional office for Africa, said “Ebola is not the only health problem of the community” and that people are upset because responders “come only for Ebola.” Maria Van Kerkhove, acting director of the WHO’s Epidemic and Pandemic Threat Management Department, said the response must be broader and include WASH, security, malaria, measles and mpox. Responders are trying to rebuild trust by engaging religious and traditional leaders and using local languages. Salim Abdool Karim said communities need confidence in health services and that a rapid onsite diagnostic test is urgently needed. Van Kerkhove warned well funded interventions will still fail without community support.
Several experts criticised the on-the-ground response capacity. The DRC has battled 17 Ebola outbreaks and the current response began five months after the 16th ended. Jean-Jacques Muyembe said past experience has not been reflected in practice, and Yap Boum II of Africa CDC said preparedness in the outbreak zone was effectively absent, with responders “starting a response from scratch.” Field assessments found infection prevention capacity at health facilities in Ituri averaged below 30 per cent. Armed conflict is also hindering efforts: the governor of North Kivu said government forces control only around a third of the province, and closed borders make access to some populations difficult.
- Confirmed cases: 635
- Deaths: 127
- DRC Ebola outbreaks to date: 17
Difficult words
- mistrust — lack of trust in people or institutions
- outbreak — sudden appearance of a disease in a placeoutbreaks
- responder — person who provides emergency or medical helpresponders
- diagnostic — relating to tests that identify a disease
- intervention — planned action to improve a health situationinterventions
- preparedness — state of being ready for an emergency
- hinder — to make progress or success difficulthindering
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- What practical steps could responders take to rebuild trust in affected communities?
- How does the presence of other diseases and malnutrition affect an Ebola response?
- What problems do armed conflict and closed borders create for outbreak control and access to care?
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