Since the outbreak was declared on May 15, considerable progress has been made in testing capabilities, Tarik Jašarević, spokesperson for the World Health Organization (WHO), told reporters in Geneva.
Tests for the Bundibugyo virus responsible for the epidemic are available in six locations across the country: in Bunia and Mongbwalu in the province of Ituri, in Bukavu and Lwiro in South Kivu, in Goma in North Kivu, in addition to the capital Kinshasa.
Four other 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, improvements are still possible.
Break the chain
“We have blind spots where we receive a low number of alerts,” Jašarević said. “There may be chains of transmission that are going undetected. There are still people who are at risk of infecting others, and we need to catch them.”
Bruno Michon, operations manager for the Ebola outbreak at UN partner the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), insisted that stopping the spread requires investing not only in the medical response but also in building trust, which takes time and is difficult.
“But in this epidemic, it’s not optional. It saves lives,” he said.
Speaking from Bunia, the epicenter of the crisis, he said “some people still wonder if the disease is real” and believe the outbreak may have been “invented” to attract foreign aid. Others “consider safe and dignified burials an attack” [on] culture and tradition, rather than a measure aimed at protecting families and communities.”
Skepticism, doubt and fear have hampered the response in conflict-ridden eastern DRC due to the local community’s distrust of outside authorities, significantly increasing the risk of disease transmission.
At the start of the outbreak, two treatment centers were burned down in the region, which was gripped by intense fighting, displacing more than 100,000 people.
At the time, the WHO said PK Press Club that the attacks were linked to disinformation campaigns circulating on social networks.
“When people are afraid, they may not report symptoms,” says Michon. “They sometimes avoid treatment centers” for fear of being infected and prefer to stay at home when they have a fever, “being ashamed to tell their family that they are sick”, because the disease is very stigmatized.
“Families try to bury their loved ones according to traditional practices, without knowing the level of risk involved,” he added.
Respectful approach
The IFRC official explained that trust is earned through measures to allay community concerns.
“Following feedback from the community, we started using body bags with a window so the family could see the face of the deceased” and begin the grieving process, he said.
“When communities told us about their fears that chlorine was being used to poison them, we did not dispute it. We showed how the disinfectants are prepared.”
“Without trust, we cannot detect cases early,” continued Mr. Michon. “We cannot guarantee safe and dignified burials. We cannot even protect families and we cannot stop transmission.”
“Trust is not a secondary activity in the response to Ebola. Trust is central,” he concluded.
