Misinformation emerges as major obstacle in DRC Ebola fight

When four Red Cross volunteers arrived in Bunia in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to bury a person who had died from Ebola, they expected grief and fear.

Fuelled by rumors that the coffin was empty and that Ebola was not real, a crowd attacked the volunteers, injuring them and forcing two to be evacuated to Kinshasa for specialized medical treatment.

For health workers and humanitarian responders battling DRC's rapidly-expanding Ebola outbreak, the deadly virus is no longer the only threat. Misinformation and mistrust are increasingly undermining efforts to contain the epidemic, fuelling attacks on frontline workers, discouraging treatment-seeking behavior and complicating surveillance and safe burial operations that are critical to stopping transmission.

"The volunteers did their best to negotiate with the crowd and explain why this was dangerous, but unfortunately the crowd became uncontrollable," said Alex Lock, spokesperson for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, or IFRC, in Bunia. "There were people in the crowd who assumed that the coffin was empty and urged the volunteers to open it."

Lock said misinformation has also discouraged some people from seeking treatment. "In the very beginning of the outbreak, people thought this was sorcery or a curse," he said. "Because of that, they didn't seek appropriate care from hospitals and more people became infected."

The incident is one of several examples of growing community resistance during the outbreak, which had recorded more than 3,000 confirmed cases, and is feared to become the worst Ebola pandemic in history.

World Health Organization officials have warned that many newly reported deaths are occurring in communities, with patients dying before reaching health facilities, one of the most alarming signs that transmission chains remain hidden.

Officials from the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, or Africa CDC, have warned that misinformation is becoming one of the biggest barriers to controlling the outbreak.

False claims circulating in affected communities range from allegations that Ebola does not exist to beliefs that the disease is caused by witchcraft, or that response teams are profiting from the crisis.

Aid agencies said some communities initially believed Ebola was caused by witchcraft or viewed response measures such as safe burials with suspicion.

United Nations' agency UNICEF said misinformation has evolved throughout the outbreak. In the early stages, some communities believed Ebola was a conspiracy or another tactic used by armed groups to harm civilians.

Although such perceptions have declined in heavily affected areas, other rumors persist, including claims that the virus is being deliberately spread for financial gain or that treatment centers and handwashing measures are intended to infect people.

"Lessons from previous Ebola outbreaks show that misinformation can seriously undermine community engagement efforts," said a UNICEF representative, warning that social media continues to amplify false narratives and allow rumors to spread rapidly.

"Unfortunately, this has led to some of the attacks happening to our frontline healthcare workers in the field," Wessam Mankoula, head of the Continental Incident Management Support Team at the Africa CDC, said during a recent briefing.

Healthcare workers have been among those hardest-hit by the outbreak, with Africa CDC reporting dozens of deaths among frontline personnel.

UNICEF noted that resistance is not always driven by rumors alone. In many cases, communities are dealing with grief, frustration and trauma after losing loved ones while health services remain overstretched.

The agency warned that mistrust can cause people to delay treatment, hide symptoms or conceal deaths, increasing the risk of further infections and prolonged transmission.

Humanitarian group Medecins Sans Frontieres, or MSF, also added that community trust remains critical to ending the outbreak. "The community should be the first partner," said Frederick Lai Manantsoa, MSF's emergency coordinator in the DRC. "If we don't have the community with us, then the outbreak will continue to spread because we will have issues in terms of contact tracing and surveillance."

The challenge is particularly acute because nearly 80 percent of newly confirmed infections are emerging from unknown chains of transmission, suggesting that many cases remain undetected.

According to Manantsoa, insecurity, population displacement and movement between mining communities and internally displaced persons camps have further complicated surveillance efforts. "There are several dynamics of the outbreak which make surveillance and contact tracing extremely complex," he said.

To counter misinformation, aid agencies have significantly expanded community engagement activities.

The Red Cross said it has mobilized around 200 volunteers to conduct more than 600 safe and dignified burials and another 500 volunteers to carry out door-to-door awareness campaigns, reaching more than 90,000 people with life-saving information.

The organization has also introduced transparent body bags that allow families to view the faces of deceased relatives while maintaining infection prevention measures.

"We are seeing progress. Some communities are now calling us directly and requesting safe burial services," Lock said.

UNICEF said community engagement efforts are beginning to show results, with areas that were once difficult to access becoming increasingly open to response teams.

The agency works closely with religious leaders, traditional authorities, community mobilizers, local radio stations and young people to promote accurate information and encourage dialogue around the outbreak.

MSF and other humanitarian organizations are also increasingly relying on Ebola survivors to help rebuild trust.

Despite the dangers they face, many volunteers remain determined to continue their work. "We are community members," Lock recalled volunteers saying after the initial burial attack. "If we are not the ones to do so, then who?"

sharon@chinadailyafrica.com