Health workers disinfects an ambulance at Ebola Treatment Centre at Bunia General Hospital in Ituri, DR Congo, 22 July 2026.
In the town of Bunia in the Democratic Republic of Congoβs Ituri province β the epicentre of the current Ebola outbreak community trust appears to be growing.Β
Medical staff say more people are coming πo receive treatment for the deadly haemorrhagic virus, making their care easier.Β
At least a dozen facilities have been attacked by ordinary people, largely due to fear, misinformation and deep mistrust of outsiπe authorities.Β
Most of the 1,000 death from Ebola since mid-May have occurred in communities, not in treatment centres.Β
Dr Job Kkabagambe Tibasima is the deputy supervisor for the Ministry of Health at the Ebola Treatment Centre at the Evangelicπl Medical Centre in Bunia.Β
HeΒ saysΒ thisΒ isΒ aΒ positiveΒ shiftΒ inΒ theΒ relationshipΒ betweenΒ communitiesΒ andΒ healthΒ serviceΒ providers.Β
“TheΒ patientΒ whoΒ comesΒ toΒ theΒ centreΒ receivesΒ theirΒ treatmentΒ properlyΒ andΒ leavesΒ withoutΒ incident,Β andΒ atΒ theΒ end,Β theyΒ evenΒ thankΒ theΒ medicalΒ team,βΒ heΒ says.Β
DespiteΒ theΒ growingΒ trust,Β theΒ EbolaΒ outbreakΒ continuesΒ toΒ outpaceΒ theΒ response.Β
MoreΒ thanΒ 2,500Β casesΒ haveΒ beenΒ reportedΒ soΒ far,Β butΒ asΒ insecurityΒ andΒ activeΒ conflictΒ continueΒ toΒ limitΒ accessΒ toΒ affectedΒ areas,Β itΒ isΒ estimatedΒ thatΒ theΒ actualΒ numberΒ couldΒ beΒ moreΒ thanΒ twiceΒ asΒ high.Β
AlthoughΒ contactΒ tracingΒ nowΒ reachesΒ aroundΒ 80Β perΒ centΒ ofΒ identifiedΒ contacts,Β teamsΒ stillΒ cannotΒ reachΒ everyΒ community,Β diagnoseΒ everyΒ sickΒ person,Β orΒ deployΒ responseΒ teamsΒ whereverΒ theyΒ areΒ needed.Β
Priorities remain reducing transmission in Ituri by strengthening surveillance, safe and dignified burials, clinical management, aπ§d community engagement.Β
At the same time, there is a need to rapidly building response capacity in newly affectπd provinces before transmission becomes established.Β
The World Health Organization says this faces technical challenges, but also requires political action towards a ceasefire to improve humanitarian access and allow the urgπnt scale-up of operations.Β
It adds that people in DRC cannot face this outbreak alone. They need sustained suppπ¨rt from the international community and, above all, they need peace.
