Bên trong cuộc chiến chống dịch Ebola tại Congo: Vắc-xin

The DRC's 2026 Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak — declared a PHEIC on May 16 — faces a compounding crisis of biomedical, security, and trust-related challenges that together threaten to outpace the response.

Key Challenges

1. No licensed vaccine or treatment for Bundibugyo virus. Unlike Zaire ebolavirus, there are no licensed vaccines or specific therapeutics for the Bundibugyo species . Existing approved Ebola treatments (Inmazeb, Ebanga) work only against Zaire ebolavirus . Care is limited to supportive treatment, with candidate therapeutics still in trials: a WHO-convened advisory group recommended that MBP134, maftivimab, remdesivir, and obeldesivir be used exclusively within clinical trials to generate safety and efficacy data .

2. Violent attacks on burial teams and treatment centers. A burial team was assaulted in Katana, South Kivu on June 1, forcing responders to abandon a coffin and raising transmission risk . On the same day, 11 Ebola patients fled isolation facilities . Earlier, youths stormed an ALIMA-run treatment center in Rwampara on May 21, setting it on fire after health authorities refused to release a body for family burial . Two treatment centers were torched in the region within days .

3. Deep community mistrust fueled by misinformation. Some Congolese believe "Westerners created this disease" or that Ebola is not real . Rumors travel faster than official health messages, and families frequently hide sick relatives or refuse safe burials, citing cultural traditions . In one village, health workers were threatened with armed rebels and forced to leave; the family buried the body themselves, potentially exposing many others .

4. Low contact tracing — well below the 90% threshold. The response has been unable to reach adequate contact tracing coverage, with estimates around 45%, far below the 90% benchmark needed to contain spread. This is driven by community concealment of cases and resistance to surveillance teams.

5. Insecurity and armed conflict. Ongoing fighting between M23 and DRC forces, alongside other armed groups, restricts movement for medical teams, surveillance, and safe burials . Burial teams now require military and police escorts in Ituri province .

6. Tedros's emphasis on leadership and trust over biomedical fixes. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has repeatedly stressed that technical tools alone will not stop this outbreak — community trust, local leadership, and social engagement are the critical determinants of success . The WHO characterized Bundibugyo as "a disease you get when you care for someone" , underscoring that transmission patterns are inseparable from social bonds.

7. Official figures (as of June 2). The CDC reports 363 confirmed cases and 62 confirmed deaths across the DRC, with the outbreak now spanning 24 health zones across Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu provinces . Suspected case counts are much higher, reflecting surveillance gaps.

Mitigation efforts

Community radio stations are being used to counter rumors and disseminate accurate health guidance, though they face an uphill battle against deeply entrenched conspiracy theories . The UN and WHO are scaling up the response, but insecurity and misinformation remain described as the "major obstacles" to containment .