In Bunia, volunteers like Vanny Birungi confront stone‑throwing residents, burned tents and deep mistrust while trying to curb a fast‑moving Ebola outbreak that has already claimed hundreds of lives.
Vanny Birungi, a volunteer with the Red Cross, has become a familiar face on the streets of Bunia as she tries to educate residents about the rapidly spreading Ebola outbreak that has engulfed eastern Congo .
Under the sweltering sun, Birungi and her colleagues move from house to house, distributing leaflets, demonstrating proper hand‑washing techniques, and explaining how the virus is transmitted through direct contact with the blood, vomit, sweat, feces or other bodily fluids of infected individuals. Their message is clear: the disease is present, it is deadly, and there is no vaccine or proven treatment available yet. Yet the response they receive is often hostile.
In a working‑class neighbourhood, stones are thrown, voices rise in anger, and some residents openly accuse aid workers of profiteering. Pierre Basola, a 56‑year‑old local, voiced a common sentiment, claiming, “Ebola is a white man’s invention; they only want to get rich.
” Such distrust is rooted in years of conflict, displacement and the memory of armed groups that have devastated the Ituri region, leaving many people wary of anyone perceived as an outsider, even those who aim to save lives. The tension has spilled over into violent actions against health facilities. On Saturday, a crowd torched a tent operated by Doctors Without Borders in the nearby mining town of Mongbwalu, forcing more than a dozen suspected patients to flee.
A week earlier, a burial centre in Rwampara was set ablaze after families were denied access to the body of a man suspected of having Ebola. These incidents reflect deep frustration over traditional funeral practices being blocked by infection‑control rules, which prevent families from washing or touching their loved ones. The loss of customary rites, coupled with reports that even doctors in local hospitals are succumbing to the virus, fuels a sense of helplessness.
“We go to the hospitals and they die too. We leave everything to God,” said 70‑year‑old Mado Nditamba, a longtime Bunian resident who has watched multiple epidemics come and go. The humanitarian response is hampered by logistical hurdles as well as the pervasive climate of fear. To reach remote centres such as Mongbwalu, aid groups must travel more than 1,000 kilometres from Kinshasa through territories controlled by armed factions, risking ambushes and road blockades.
The World Health Organization estimates the outbreak has produced over 900 suspected cases and more than 220 deaths, while warning that early testing mistakenly focused on a more common Ebola strain, causing precious days to be lost. Limited laboratory capacity for the less‑common Bundibugyo type further delays confirmation of cases.
Health workers themselves are under‑equipped; many lack proper protective gear, and some have already become infected, including Rubens Dhedgia, the regional coordinator for the Ebola response, who was reported dead in Rwampara. As the virus spreads beyond Congo’s borders, neighbouring countries have reported at least three health‑worker infections linked to travel from the epicentre. International officials stress that rebuilding trust is as vital as delivering medical supplies.
Heather Kerr, country director for the International Rescue Committee in Congo, warned, “If communities do not trust us, they will not go to health centres, and the outbreak will keep growing. ” The coming weeks will test the capacity of both local authorities and the global health community to contain a disease that thrives on fear, misinformation and the very barriers that hinder effective intervention
Ebola Outbreak Congo Humanitarian Aid Public Health Trust Red Cross Volunteers
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