Bunia, Democratic Republic of the Congo—When the Ebola outbreak was declared in Ituri Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on 15 May 2026, health teams rapidly mobilized to detect cases, care for patients and prevent further transmission of the virus. Beyond the medical response, another critical component quickly emerged: building trust and ensuring communities had access to reliable information about the disease and available services.
In Kigonze, a settlement for internally displaced people on the outskirts of Bunia, the capital of Ituri Province, Dheve Machozi, a community mobilizer, remembers the first weeks of the outbreak, when many questions remained unanswered. Families wanted to understand the origins of the disease, the reasons behind the work of health teams and the measures needed to protect themselves.
To address concerns raised by communities, authorities adopted an approach centred on listening and dialogue to better understand community concerns and respond to them quickly.
“In the beginning, many people did not understand why health teams were working in the community. The community awareness sessions helped us better understand the disease and the importance of the measures put in place to protect us,” she says.
The outbreak, declared following the confirmation of Ebola disease cases caused by the Bundibugyo virus, had recorded 1926 confirmed cases and 702 cumulative deaths as of 11 July 2026, according to the National Institute of Public Health.
According to Hussein Twaibu, Adviser to the Minister of Health for Communication and National Chair of the Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) pillar, community feedback plays an important role in guiding community awareness activities.
“Questions raised during radio programmes, together with rumours reported by community volunteers and local leaders, are documented, analysed and integrated into the community perception monitoring system. This enables response teams to identify misunderstandings, adapt messages and address concerns more quickly,” he explains.
From the beginning of the outbreak, World Health Organization (WHO) supported this effort through infodemic management activities, which include monitoring perceptions, analysing information circulating among communities and facilitating access to reliable information.
“We have seen increased community acceptance. Today, we are seeing greater community involvement, particularly through more rapid reporting of alerts and referrals of sick people to Ebola treatment centres,” says Jack-Katson Katya Maliro, WHO RCCE focal point in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Beyond community engagement activities, response teams have also expanded communication channels to reach as many people as possible. Between 25 May and 24 June 2026, eight radio spots in local languages were broadcast on 36 community and local radio stations. Twenty-five Ebola-related programmes, news capsules and testimonies were also produced, while 10 journalists who have been engaged to report on the response, shared reliable information with more than 17 000 people.
Social media platforms were also mobilized. Fifteen influencers, each followed by more than 100 000 people, shared community awareness messages targeting young audiences. During the same period, 89 items of community feedback were collected and analysed, while four infodemic bulletins were produced to help response partners better target their interventions.
Traditional leaders, religious leaders, women’s and youth associations, community volunteers, motorcycle taxi drivers and other influential community members also contribute to disseminating prevention messages and facilitating dialogue between response teams and communities.
On the ground, teams remain engaged with families to identify emerging concerns, provide appropriate explanations and adapt interventions to local realities.
In Kigonze, Machozi believes that better access to reliable information is helping change attitudes within her community. She continues to raise awareness among those around her and encourages families to seek information from trusted sources.
“Today, we see more people seeking information and asking questions when they have doubts. When people have access to reliable information, it becomes easier to protect their loved ones and their community. That is what motivates us to continue this work every day,” she says.
