Democratic Republic of Congo News

Working with communities to end Ebola

“In some places they threw stones at us, but in others community leaders became engaged and fought alongside us for the survival of their people,” says Dr Freddy Banza, an epidemiologist and public health specialist with World Health Organization (WHO).

Mixing it with the Motards: understanding the needs and concerns of crucial communit...

Alloya, a town serving a gold mining district in North Kivu is a town that understands trade and business. It is also a town with deep mistrust of Ebola responders. All too often, the belief that the Ebola response is about ‘business’ rather than saving lives, has taken hold.

In late June, cases of Ebola began to reappear in Alloya, following reintroduction of the virus by an infected person who avoided surveillance and travelled to the area from the then epicentre, Butembo.