<\/p>\n
Health officials say progress has been made since the outbreak was declared on May 15, particularly in expanding testing capacity. World Health Organisation Spokesperson Tarik Ja\u0161arevi\u0107 said testing for the Bundibugyo strain is now available across six locations, including Bunia, Bukavu, Goma and Kinshasa, with additional laboratories activated in neighbouring Uganda.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Despite these gains, Ja\u0161arevi\u0107 warned that gaps remain in surveillance and detection. \u201cWe have blind spots where we get a low number of alerts\u2026 there may be transmission chains that are not being detected,\u201d Ja\u0161arevi\u0107 said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Ja\u0161arevi\u0107 said undetected infections continue to pose a risk, particularly in areas where monitoring is limited, and healthcare access remains constrained.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Humanitarian organisations say the challenge extends beyond medical response, with community resistance and misinformation complicating containment efforts.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies Operations Manager Bruno Michon said trust is essential to breaking the chain of transmission.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cBut in this outbreak, it is not optional. It is lifesaving,\u201d Michon said.
\nMichon, speaking from Bunia, described widespread scepticism within affected communities, including doubts about the existence of the disease.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cSome people still question whether the disease is real\u2026 [or believe] it has been invented to attract foreign aid,\u201d Michon said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Traditional practices and cultural beliefs have also contributed to resistance, particularly around safe burial procedures. \u201cOthers see safe and dignified burials as an attack on culture and tradition,\u201d Michon said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Officials say fear and stigma are preventing people from reporting symptoms or seeking treatment, increasing the risk of further spread. \u201cWhen people are afraid, they may not report symptoms\u2026 they may avoid treatment centres,\u201d Michon said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The outbreak has also been affected by insecurity in eastern DRC, where conflict has displaced more than 100 000 people. Earlier in the response, two treatment centres were set on fire, reportedly linked to misinformation campaigns.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
To address community concerns, responders have adapted their approaches, including modifying burial practices and improving communication.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cFollowing community feedback, we started using body bags with a window so that families can see the face of the deceased,\u201d Michon said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cWe demonstrated how disinfectants are prepared,\u201d Michon added, after concerns that chlorine was being used to harm communities.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Michon said these measures are aimed at rebuilding trust and improving cooperation with health authorities. \u201cWithout trust, we cannot detect cases early\u2026 we cannot stop the transmission,\u201d Michon said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
–UN\/ChannelAfrica–<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":37273,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"news-type":[78,26],"class_list":["post-37272","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news-type-featured","news-type-general_news","entry"],"acf":{"short_description":"Humanitarian agencies say building community trust remains critical to containing the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).","published_date":"","news_description":"Humanitarian agencies say building community trust remains critical to containing the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).","form_embed":"","author":"","image_caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/37272","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/37272\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":37274,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/37272\/revisions\/37274"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37273"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37272"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"news-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-type?post=37272"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}