DR Congo Ebola response chief stresses community trust amid rising cases

The Democratic Republic of Congo is battling its largest Ebola outbreak to date, with the Bundibugyo variant accounting for 5,656 confirmed cases and 2,715 deaths as of Aug. 24. Professor Pierre Akilimali, who leads the multi-agency response for the National Public Health Institute, said the focus must remain on the individuals and families behind the statistics.

"It is behind those numbers that matters; it is the father, the child, the loved relative. Behind every case is a person and behind every person is a family," Akilimali told reporters.

He warned that case numbers could continue to rise as community engagement improves, stressing the need for treatment centres to be prepared for a possible surge. While a peak may be reached within two months, he described any timeline as “guesswork.”

Health workers have been operating under intense pressure, with many unable to take rest and some separated from their families for extended periods. Akilimali noted that the response’s success depends on “every contact followed, every family supported, is a life where the worst was avoided."

Mistrust in remote eastern provinces, where militias and bandits operate, has hampered early response efforts, leading to attacks on clinics and burial teams. Akilimali attributed this hesitation to past experiences of inadequate or delayed assistance rather than ignorance.

"The response that respects communities is the response which lasts," he said, adding that community engagement is as urgent as vaccines or other technical measures.

The government’s health ministry and the Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale are coordinating the effort, but Akilimali called for additional regional and international solidarity to cover the outbreak’s costs. He also highlighted challenges in managing donor funds, noting that money is often handled by NGOs rather than local authorities, which can fuel rumors.

Despite logistical difficulties in rugged terrain and the need to coordinate multiple partners, Akilimali said confidence in laboratory capacity and access to previously hard-to-reach areas has improved. He emphasized that the response aims to protect the broader health system and ensure dignified burials, rather than focusing solely on Ebola cases.

"Our community engagement is not a soft afterthought – it is as urgent as vaccine or any other technical pillar," Akilimali said, describing a strategy that relies on local health workers, religious leaders and survivors to convey trusted information.

The outbreak remains concentrated in several eastern health zones, with a high case-fatality rate underscoring the virus’s severity. Akilimali concluded that the ongoing fight is as much about building trust as it is about containing the disease.