A recent survey by ActionAid in Ituri found that roughly one‑third of respondents did not believe Ebola is a real disease, viewing it instead as a spiritual or sorcery‑related phenomenon.
Dr Wessam Mankoula of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention told the BBC that “Ebola misinformation is Ebola’s greatest ally.” He warned that false rumours delay care for those in need, fuel attacks on health workers and facilities, disrupt outbreak control, and give the virus further chances to spread.
Experts attribute the mistrust to decades of turmoil in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, marked by prolonged conflict, foreign interference, and competition for valuable minerals such as gold and coltan, which have attracted foreign companies and armed groups.
Dr Jean‑Vivien Mombouli, a former advisor to governments in the region on Ebola responses, notes, “You have a very strong base of being very distrustful of anything coming from outside, including the central government.”
Health officials stress that containing the outbreak now hinges as much on rebuilding community trust as on medical treatment, warning that without acceptance they cannot carry out their work.
WHO Director‑General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus wrote on social media in June, “Mistrust is the real battleground. Win trust, and we win this.”
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