The family conducted the burial themselves, potentially exposing dozens more people to the virus.
The incident offers a stark illustration of one of the biggest obstacles facing efforts to contain the latest deadly outbreak, which has infected 381 people and left 64 dead in the DRC as of June 3.
For Marie Roseline Bélizaire, director of emergency preparedness and response for Africa at the World Health Organization (WHO), the biggest challenge is not always the virus itself: it may be families who believe the illness is caused by witchcraft, persuading traditional healers to work alongside health teams, or health teams returning to communities that threatened them – just days earlier.
“We’re not trying to defeat their culture,” she said. “We are trying to involve science in its own beliefs.”
Dr Belizaire (center) in a discussion with WHO officials and health partners. The agency is leading the UN response to a deadly Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
Progress, but no control yet
The outbreak, caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain of the 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.
Talk to PK Press Club From Bunia, in Ituri province, Dr Bélizaire said the response had made significant progress in recent weeks, particularly in terms of testing capacity.
At the start of the epidemic, laboratories could process around 40 tests per day. This capacity is now extended to 800 daily tests, allowing suspected cases to be confirmed or excluded much more quickly.
“All the tests that we receive, we deploy them almost the same day,” she said. “The waiting time for your result has been reduced. Twenty-four hours, maximum 48 hours, you have the result.”
Community alerts are first investigated in the field, and those that meet the outbreak’s case definition are tested and either confirmed or overturned, allowing suspected cases to be cleared from the system more quickly than at the start of the outbreak.
Firmer trace
Contact tracing rates have improved from around 25 percent to 45 percent, but this remains well below the 90 to 95 percent coverage needed to effectively contain transmission.
“We still have many challenges to overcome,” she said, adding that the regional dimensions of the epidemic remain worrying.
Uganda has recorded 15 confirmed cases and one probable case linked to the outbreak. A Congolese national also crossed the United Arab Emirates before arriving in Uganda, highlighting how quickly infectious diseases can cross borders.
“When there is an outbreak and there is mobility, that is always a concern,” said Dr. Bélizaire, emphasizing, however, that mechanisms such as the WHO International Health Regulations help countries quickly share information and coordinate their responses.
Aerial view of Mongbwalu, a town in Ituri province, where health teams are responding to the Ebola outbreak. The complex of white buildings in the foreground is a field hospital.
Trust in public health
For WHO teams on the ground, one of the most complex tasks is building trust. Many communities in affected areas have experienced years of conflict and insecurity. Cultural beliefs and misinformation can also shape how people interpret illness and death.
“The symptoms of the disease are very similar to those of malaria in the community,” explained Dr. Belizaire.
Some families attribute the 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, or from believing in other things that are part of their culture,” she said. “We’re just asking them to at the same time believe in the existence of the disease.”
Ancient and modern
Traditional healers are also involved as partners rather than excluded.
“We don’t stop them from seeing traditional healers,” she said. “We ask [the healers]If you see anyone with these symptoms, refer them to us as well.
This approach reflects lessons learned from previous Ebola outbreaks, where mistrust often proved as dangerous as the virus itself.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who recently visited the epicenter of the outbreak, warned that “disinformation is almost as dangerous as the virus itself and spreads just as quickly.”
WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (right) meets a health worker who recovered from Ebola caused by the Bundibugyo virus after being discharged from a hospital in Bunia.
Reasons to hope
Despite the difficulties, encouraging signs have emerged. Seven people have recovered from Ebola, including six health workers.
Most sought treatment quickly and received intensive supportive care, including rehydration and treatment of symptoms while their immune systems fought the infection.
“They recovered because they went to the hospital early,” Dr. Bélizaire said.
“No country faces Ebola alone”
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. bringing 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 defeat this epidemic is through close partnership…no country faces Ebola alone.” said WHO Director-General Tedros.
Africa CDC Director General Jean Kaseya stressed the urgency of the response, saying: “Ebola is evolving rapidly. Africa must move faster,» he said.
Vaccine candidates under development
There are currently no licensed vaccines or approved treatments for the Bundibugyo strain, although vaccine candidates are under development.
But Dr Bélizaire stressed that even a vaccine would not replace the need for early detection and treatment.
“The key is that as soon as you have symptoms, you go to the health center,” she said.
The determination of a survivor
Among the encounters that most marked Dr. Bélizaire was that of a health worker who contracted Ebola while caring for a patient. The female doctor later recovered.
Rather than leave the profession, she said she plans to continue serving others.
“She said she wouldn’t stop,” recalls Dr. Bélizaire. “She said she was born to care for others, and that’s what she will continue to do.”
This story reflects the resilience of health workers and communities facing the epidemic every day.
Learn more about the epidemic here and about Ebola symptoms And prevention here.
