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

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 .