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‘Some people question whether Ebola is real’: trust is central in fighting DRC outbreak, humanitarians say
In Ebola-stricken Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), winning the race against the disease requires earning the community’s trust first and foremost, humanitarians said on Tuesday.
Since the outbreak was declared on 15 May, considerable progress has been made on testing capacities, Tarik Jašarević, spokesperson for the World Health Organization (WHO) told reporters in Geneva. Testing for the Bundibugyo virus responsible for the outbreak is available in six locations in the country, in Bunia and Mongbwalu in Ituri Province, Bukavu and Lwiro in South Kivu, Goma in North Kivu, in addition to the capital Kinshasa.
Another four laboratories have been activated in Uganda where cases had been imported from DRC.
However, there is still room for improvement.
“We have blind spots where we get a low number of alerts,” Mr. Jašarević said. “There may be transmission chains that are not being detected. There are still people who risk infecting other people, and we need to get them”.
Bruno Michon, Operations Manager for the Ebola outbreak at UN partner the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), insisted that to stop the spread, investment is needed not only in the medical response, but also in building trust, which is time-consuming and difficult.
“But in this outbreak, it is not optional. It is lifesaving,” he said.
Speaking from Bunia, the epicentre of the crisis, he said that “some people still question whether the disease is real” and believe that the outbreak may have been “invented” to attract foreign aid, while others “see safe and dignified burials as an attack [on] culture and tradition, rather than a measure to protect families and communities”.
Scepticism, doubt and fear are hindering the response, Mr. Michon said.
“When people are afraid, they may not report symptoms,” he explained. “They may avoid treatment centres” for fear of contamination and prefer to stay at home when they have a fever, “ashamed to tell the family that they are sick”, since significant stigma comes with the disease.
“Families try to bury their loved ones according to traditional practices without knowing the level of risk involved,” he added.
The IFRC official explained that trust is earned through measures destined to appease the community’s concerns.
“Following community feedback, we started using body bags with a window so that the family can see the face of the deceased” and begin the grieving process, he said.
“When communities told us they feared that chlorine was used to poison them, we did not argue. We demonstrated how disinfectants are prepared.”
“Without trust, we cannot detect cases early,” Mr. Michon continued. “We cannot ensure safe and dignified burials. We cannot even protect families and we cannot stop the transmission.”
“Trust is not a secondary activity in the Ebola response. Trust is central,” he concluded.
-ends-
STORY Ebola DRC update – WHO, IFRC
TRT: 3:17’’
SOURCE: UNTV CH
RESTRICTIONS: CREDIT UNICEF BROLL
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH/NATS
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 16 JUNE 2026 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND; 5-6 JUNE 2026, BUNIA, ITURI PROVINCE, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
1. Exterior wide shot: Palais des Nations, Flag Alley.
2. Wide reverse shot: Speakers at the podium of the press conference; speaker on screens; journalists in the Press room.
3. SOUNDBITE (English) – Tarik Jašarević, spokesperson, World Health Organization (WHO): “We have blind spots where we get, we get a low number of alerts. There may be transmission chains that are not being detected. There are still people who are risking to infect other people and we need to get them.”
4. Medium shot: Journalists in the Press room.
5. SOUNDBITE (English) – Tarik Jašarević, spokesperson, World Health Organization (WHO): “There are now testing capacities in six locations in DRC, in Mongbwalu, Lwiro and Bukavu, in addition to existing capacity in Bunia, Kinshasa and Goma. There are also four tests, four laboratories are activated in Uganda for Bundibugyo virus. And we, together with partners, are replenishing laboratory reagents, testing supplies and other consumables that are needed.”
6. Wide reverse shot: Speakers at the podium of the press conference; speaker on screens; journalists in the Press room.
7. SOUNDBITE (English) – Bruno Michon, Operations Manager for the Ebola outbreak, International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC): “It's very difficult to know when the peak will be reached. What I can say is that when I did arrive three weeks ago, 12 of the territories of the province were affected, and today 21 are affected. The province is divided into 34 territories, but today more than two-thirds of the territories report a positive case of Ebola.”
8. Medium-wide shot: Journalists in the Press room; speaker on screens.
9. SOUNDBITE (English) – Bruno Michon, Operations Manager for the Ebola outbreak, International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC): “Some people still question whether the disease is real. Some, they believe the outbreak was invented to attract foreign monies. Others see safe and dignified burials as an attack to culture and tradition, rather than a measure to protect families and communities.”
10. Medium reverse shot: Speakers at the podium of the press conference; speaker on screens; journalists in the Press room.
11. SOUNDBITE (English) – Bruno Michon, Operations Manager for the Ebola outbreak, International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC): “When people are afraid, they may not report symptoms. They may avoid treatment centers. Family try to bury their loved ones according to traditional practices without knowing the level of risk involved.”
12. Medium shot: Journalists in the Press room.
13. SOUNDBITE (English) – Bruno Michon, Operations Manager for the Ebola outbreak, International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC): “Following community feedback, we started using body bag with a window so that the family can see the face of the deceased and begin to process the grieving. When communities told us they feared that chlorine was used to poison them, we did not argue. We demonstrated how disinfectants are prepared.”
14. Medium shot: Journalists in the Press room.
15. SOUNDBITE (English) – Bruno Michon, Operations Manager for the Ebola outbreak, International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC): “Trust is not a secondary activity in the Ebola response. Trust is central. Without trust, we cannot detect cases early. We cannot ensure safe and dignified burials. We cannot even protect families and we cannot stop the transmission.”
16. UNICEF BROLL – CREDIT UNICEF: 5-6 JUNE 2026, BUNIA, ITURI PROVINCE, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO: Various shots, Musanga Primary School on the outskirts of Bunia, shots of children running in the school grounds, youth washing hands, poster with Ebola infection and prevention measures.
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