Since the outbreak was declared on May 15, significant progress has been made in testing capacity, Tarik Jašarević, spokesman 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.
An additional four laboratories have been activated in Uganda, where cases had been imported from the DRC, with 19 confirmed cases and one probable case to date.
However, there is still room for improvement.
To break the chain
“We have blind spots where we get a low number of alerts,” said Mr. Jašarević. “There may be chains of transmission that go undetected. There are still people who risk infecting other people, and we need to get hold of them.”
Bruno Michon, Operations Manager for the Ebola outbreak at the UN partner International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), insisted that stopping the spread requires investment not only in the medical response, but also in building trust, which is time-consuming and difficult.
“But in this outbreak, it’s not optional. It’s lifesaving,” he said.
From Bunia, the epicenter of the crisis, he said “some people still question whether the disease is real” and believe the outbreak may have been “made up” to attract foreign aid. Others “see safe and dignified burials as an attack [on] culture and tradition, rather than a measure to protect families and communities”.
Skepticism, doubt and fear have hampered the response in conflict-affected eastern DRC due to local community distrust of external authorities, significantly increasing the risk of disease transmission.
In the early days of the outbreak, two treatment centers were set on fire in the region, which has been marked by intense fighting, displacing more than 100,000 people.
At the time, the WHO told Pakinomist that the attacks were linked to disinformation campaigns circulating on social media.
“When people are scared, they may not report symptoms,” explained Mr. Michon. “They may avoid treatment centers” for fear of contamination and prefer to stay at home when they have a fever, “ashamed to tell family they are sick” as there is significant stigma associated with the disease.
“Families are trying to bury their loved ones according to traditional practices without knowing the level of risk,” he added.
Respectful approach
The IFRC official explained that confidence is achieved through measures designed to allay community concerns.
“After feedback from the community, we started using body bags with a window so the family can see the face of the deceased” and begin the grieving process, he said.
“When communities told us they feared chlorine was being used to poison them, we didn’t argue. We demonstrated how disinfectants are made.”
“Without trust, we cannot detect cases early,” continued Mr. Michon. “We cannot ensure safe and dignified burials. We cannot even protect families and we cannot stop the transfer.”
“Trust is not a secondary activity in the Ebola response. Trust is central,” he concluded.
