The family carried out the funeral themselves – potentially exposing dozens more people to the virus.
The incident is a stark illustration of one of the biggest obstacles to efforts to contain the latest deadly epidemic, which has infected 381 people and claimed 64 lives in the DRC per year. June 3.
For Marie Roseline Belizaire, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Emergency Preparedness and Response Director for Africa, the most challenging part isn’t always the virus itself — it can be sitting with families who believe the illness is caused by witchcraft and persuading traditional healers to work with health teams or health teams returning to communities that threatened them — just days earlier.
“We’re not trying to overcome their culture,” she said. “We try to incorporate science into their own faith.”
Dr. Belizaire (centre) in a discussion with WHO officials and health partners. The agency is leading the UN’s response to a deadly Ebola outbreak in eastern DR Congo.
Progress, but not yet control
The outbreak, caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola virus – for which there is no vaccine or treatment – continues to spread in eastern DRC, while cases have also been reported across the border in Uganda.
speaks to Pakinomist from Bunia, in Ituri province, said Dr. Belizaire that the response has made significant progress in recent weeks, particularly in terms of testing capacity.
At the start of the outbreak, the laboratories could process about 40 tests a day. This capacity has now been expanded to 800 daily tests, making it possible to confirm or rule out suspected cases much faster.
“All the tests we receive, we roll them out on the same day, almost,” she said. “Time to expect your result has been reduced. Twenty-four, maximum 48 hours you have the result.”
Community alerts are first investigated in the field, where those meeting the outbreak’s case definition are tested and either confirmed or ruled out – allowing suspected cases to be removed from the system faster than at the onset of the outbreak.
Firmer tracks
The contact tracing rate has improved from about 25 percent to 45 percent, but it is still far short of the 90 to 95 percent coverage needed to effectively limit transmission.
“We still have a lot of challenges,” she said, adding that the regional dimensions of the outbreak remain a concern.
Uganda has recorded 15 confirmed cases and one probable case linked to the outbreak. A Congolese national also traveled through the United Arab Emirates before arriving in Uganda, highlighting how quickly infectious diseases can move across borders.
“When there’s an outbreak and you have mobility, that’s always a concern,” said Dr. Belizaire, however, stressed that mechanisms such as the WHO’s International Health Regulations help countries share information quickly and coordinate responses.
An aerial view of Mongbwalu, a town in Ituri province, where health teams are responding to the Ebola outbreak. The white building complex in the foreground is a field hospital.
Confidence in public health
For WHO teams on the ground, one of the most complex tasks is building trust. Many local communities in affected areas have experienced years of conflict and uncertainty. Cultural beliefs and misinformation can also shape how people interpret illness and death.
“The disease symptoms are very malaria-like in the community,” explained Dr. Belize.
Some families attribute deaths to witchcraft or poisoning rather than infection.
Health workers therefore focus on coexistence rather than confrontation.
“We don’t stop them from believing in witchcraft, from believing in other things in their culture,” she said. “We just ask them to at the same time believe in the existence of the disease as well.”
Old and modern
Traditional healers are also being engaged as partners rather than being excluded.
“We don’t stop them from going to traditional healers,” she said. “We ask [the healers]If you see someone with these symptoms, please contact us as well.”
The approach reflects experience from previous Ebola outbreaks, where mistrust often proved to be as dangerous as the virus itself.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who recently visited the epicenter of the outbreak, warned that “misinformation is almost as dangerous as the virus itself and spreads just as quickly.”
WHO Director-General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (right) meets with a health worker who recovered from the Ebola disease caused by the Bundibugyo virus after they were discharged from a hospital in Bunia.
Reasons for hope
Despite the difficulties, there have been encouraging signs. Seven people have recovered from Ebola, including six health workers.
Most sought treatment early and received intensive supportive care, including rehydration and treatment for symptoms, while their immune systems fought the infection.
“They recovered because they went to the hospital early,” said Dr. Belize.
‘No country faces Ebola alone’
The WHO and the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) on Friday launched a joint continental preparedness and response plan to combat the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak and strengthen preparedness across the continent.
The six-month plan aims to mobilize $518 million under a “One Response” approach brings together governments, UN agencies, humanitarian partners and communities.
It supports ongoing national response plans in the DRC and Uganda, while strengthening preparedness in neighboring countries at risk of cross-border transmission. The plan focuses on emergency coordination, clinical care, research, surveillance and testing, infection prevention and control, community engagement and logistics.
“The only way to overcome this outbreak is through close partnership…no country faces Ebola alone,” said WHO Director-General Tedros.
Africa CDC Director General Jean Kaseya highlighted the urgency of the response, saying “Ebola moves fast. Africa must move faster,he said.
Candidate vaccines in development
There is currently no licensed vaccine or approved treatment for the Bundibugyo strain, although candidate vaccines are in development.
But Dr. Belizaire emphasized that even a vaccine would not replace the need for early detection and treatment.
“The key is, as soon as you have symptoms, you go to the health center,” she said.
The determination of a survivor
Among the meetings that have become the most with Dr. Belizaire, it is of a health worker who contracted Ebola while caring for a patient. The female doctor later recovered.
Instead of leaving the profession, she said she intends to continue serving others.
“She said she wasn’t going to stop,” recalled Dr. Belize. “She said she was born to care for others and that’s what she will continue to do.”
That story reflects the resilience of health workers and communities who confront the outbreak every day.
Read more about the outbreak here and about Ebola symptoms and prevention here.
