WHY Community Trust Is Central to Congo’s Ebola Response

The Director‑General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, travelled to Bunia in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Ituri province on 30 May to support the response to the country’s fast‑moving Ebola outbreak.

In a briefing with local media he reaffirmed the WHO’s solidarity with communities in Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu and said the response must put affected communities “at the heart” of decision‑making. He plans to meet community leaders, women’s groups, youth organisations, traders and religious figures to build trust a critical element in bringing transmission under control according to local report.

This outbreak is the DRC’s seventeenth Ebola epidemic and the third largest since the virus was discovered; it involves the rare Bundibugyo strain, for which no approved vaccine exists according to reuters. Recent risk assessments counted 906 suspected infections and 223 suspected deaths, and health minister Samuel Roger Kamba later said suspected cases had risen to 1,028 with 225 confirmed.

The WHO and its partners have deployed teams to improve surveillance, contact tracing and laboratory testing while research into vaccines and treatments continues. An analysis by XtraAfrica noted that the outbreak is the DRC’s seventeenth since 1976 and that the lack of a vaccine has amplified anxiety and mistrust, underscoring the need for strong community engagement.

Tedros told reporters that listening to communities is indispensable because local residents understand the challenges and the solutions. He said public confidence and community participation would determine whether transmission chains are broken, and he stressed that community ownership is what ultimately ends an outbreak.

To counter misinformation and encourage early reporting of symptoms, the WHO is working through local networks, radio stations and social‑media influencers. The agency’s emergency director for Africa, Dr Marie Roseline Belizaire, told UN News that every epidemic “begins in a community and ends in a community,” warning that measures imposed without public trust will not be accepted.

At a joint press conference with Congo’s health minister, Tedros emphasised that early palliative care isolation, rehydration and pain management can dramatically improve survival, urging residents to seek treatment quickly.

He also called for safe burials, noting that bodies of Ebola victims remain highly contagious, and said that traditional funerals without protective measures have led to multiple attacks on health facilities as grieving families try to reclaim bodies.

The WHO has delivered more than 1,000 diagnostic test kits and strengthened screening at major transport hubs, while pursuing clinical trials for vaccines and therapeutics. Tedros noted that the DRC has faced Ebola 16 times and ended every outbreak, a record that gives confidence that the current epidemic can be contained with community participation and sustained international support.

Health experts warn that the Bundibugyo outbreak is spreading rapidly and has already reached neighbouring Uganda, making swift containment essential. They stress that insecurity, attacks on health workers and public mistrust continue to hinder the response.

Tedros and other officials say the crisis underscores the importance of trust‑building, early care and collaboration between communities and health authorities. The WHO has promised long‑term support beyond the current epidemic and is urging countries not to impose blanket travel bans, which can disrupt the flow of medical supplies and personnel.