Community Trust Grows in DRC Ebola Treatment Efforts

Dr Job Kkabagambe Tibasima, the deputy supervisor for the Ministry of Health at the Ebola Treatment Centre at the Evangelical Medical Centre in Bunia, reported a positive shift in community trust towards health service providers, resulting in more individuals seeking treatment for Ebola. Despite this improvement, the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) continues to outpace the response efforts.

More cases have been reported, but due to ongoing insecurity and active conflict, the actual number of cases is estimated to be more than twice as high. Current contact tracing reaches around a percentage of identified contacts, but teams are unable to access every community or diagnose all sick individuals.

Priorities include reducing transmission in Ituri through enhanced surveillance, safe burials, clinical management, and community engagement. The World Health Organisation emphasized the need for political action towards a ceasefire to improve humanitarian access and called for sustained international support to combat the outbreak effectively.