DRC: How disinformation worsens Ebola epidemic
Key takeaways
- It is not only a deadly Ebola variant causing concern for health workers in DR Congo.
- And yet: "The community does not believe in this disease.
- "We initially thought of malaria, typhoid or diarrheal diseases.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
It is not only a deadly Ebola variant causing concern for health workers in DR Congo. Rumors and disinformation hinder efforts to contain the virus. The patterns are well-known — and could be confronted.
https://p.dw.com/p/5Eu Bt Even though people are dying from Ebola, many in Mongbwalu still don't believe in the disease Image: Gradel Muyisa Mumbere/REUTERSAdvertisement Three weeks since the current Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo was announced, the facts are: 397 confirmed cases, including 63 confirmed deaths, according to the latest figures reported by the African Union's Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).
And yet: "The community does not believe in this disease. Despite the deaths, people don't believe in it," said John Tumujimbe, head of a team for dignified and safe burials in the small town of Mongbwalu. It's one of the epicenters of the Ebola epidemic in the Congo's north-eastern Ituri province.