On Saturday 16 May, health authorities announced the confirmation of a case of Ebola virus disease in Goma, a major city in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a region already weakened by years of armed conflict and humanitarian crises.

According to a statement from the National Institute for Biomedical Research (INRB), the infected person is a woman from Ituri province, where several dozen cases have recently been reported by the World Health Organization (WHO). This province is now considered the epicenter of the resurgence of the epidemic.

The M23 rebel authorities claim to have immediately activated health response mechanisms to prevent the virus from spreading in this strategic city, a commercial and humanitarian hub in eastern Congo. The patient has been placed in isolation and is receiving medical care.

“As soon as this case was confirmed, the provincial authorities, in coordination with the health services and local health facilities, immediately activated the response mechanisms,” states the provincial government’s press release.

At several entry points to the city, particularly in the neighboring territory of Nyiragongo, handwashing facilities and health screening points have been reinstalled, according to local residents interviewed. In some healthcare facilities, the preventive measures are reminiscent of the most critical periods of previous outbreaks that struck North Kivu between 2018 and 2020.

In Beni, another town that has been severely affected by Ebola in the past, the provincial authorities operating under the state of emergency (which report to Kinshasa) have announced a ban on the transport of mortal remains without prior authorization from the health authorities. In Goma, Mayor Désiré Ngabo Kisuba has called on the heads of churches, hotels, shops and bars to step up hygiene measures in their establishments.

Between health vigilance and the challenge of trust:

But beyond the medical response, the authorities face another challenge: the mistrust of a section of the population. Since the announcement of the first cases in Ituri, rumors have been circulating on social media and in certain working-class neighborhoods, where many residents still associate Ebola with a ‘business disease’, fueled, they claim, by international funding linked to health crises.

These are perceptions rejected by health professionals, who fear that such talk could undermine prevention and awareness-raising efforts.

For Trésor Wayitsomaya, a communications specialist, the effectiveness of the response will also depend on the authorities’ ability to re-establish a dialogue of trust with local communities.

In a study on the management of the Covid-19 pandemic in North Kivu, conducted at the University of Nature Conservation and Development in Kasugho, the researcher argues that community media, local leaders and community health workers were not sufficiently involved in awareness campaigns, thereby fuelling resistance among the population.

“Faced with the risk of new health crises in the province, more inclusive and ongoing communication is essential,” he emphasizes, calling for the strengthening of community media and greater involvement of local stakeholders in public health strategies.

In a region where security crises are already hampering access to healthcare, the resurgence of Ebola is bringing back vivid memories of previous outbreaks, which took a heavy toll on communities in eastern DRC.

Written by Victoire Katembo Mbuto

Photo Caption: Two pupils at a school in the Nyiragongo district washing their hands (Photo: Victoire Katembo Mbuto)