Fighting Ebola on Five Fronts: How the DRC is Rebuilding Trust and Security to Stop the Virus

The Democratic Republic of Congo is broadening its response to an Ebola outbreak that has now affected six provinces, combining stronger security measures with expanded laboratory capacity, improved patient care and greater involvement of local administrations and communities.

The government is seeking to remove the obstacles that continue to slow the deployment of response teams as transmission remains active across Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uele, Bas-Uele and Tshopo.

Interior Minister Shabani Lukoo B.J. brought together provincial governors and security committees on Monday to coordinate the government’s response and address security, administrative and logistical constraints affecting operations on the ground.

The latest available figures, covering the situation as of August 22, put the number of confirmed Ebola cases at 5,514, with 2,642 deaths and 1,200 recoveries. The outbreak has reached 57 health zones, with a case-fatality rate of 47.9 percent.

Government puts security at the center of the response

One of the government’s immediate priorities is to make affected areas more accessible to health teams.

Provincial authorities have been instructed to work with territorial administrations, security services and local stakeholders to facilitate the movement of response personnel and remove administrative or logistical barriers.

Security measures are also intended to protect health workers, ambulances, treatment centers, medical supplies and key operational routes.

The approach reflects the reality of the outbreak, particularly in eastern DRC, where insecurity and population displacement can complicate surveillance, contact tracing and access to healthcare.

Expanding testing and treatment capacity

The government has also strengthened the medical infrastructure supporting the response.

Laboratory capacity for Ebola testing has been expanded, allowing suspected cases to be identified more quickly. Treatment and patient-care capacity has also increased since the beginning of the outbreak.

These measures are designed to shorten the time between the detection of a suspected case and access to appropriate care — a critical factor in limiting further transmission.

However, the authorities face a major challenge beyond treatment centers: reaching people before they become severely ill.

Ituri remains the main battleground

Ituri continues to account for the largest share of the outbreak, representing approximately 85 percent of cases and 79 percent of deaths, according to World Health Organization data.

The high proportion of deaths occurring within communities is particularly concerning. Around 60 percent of deaths recorded in recent weeks are reported to have occurred in communities, pointing to delays in identifying cases, referring patients and accessing medical care.

This is where the government’s community-focused strategy becomes crucial.

Provincial authorities and local leaders are being called upon to support health teams, encourage early reporting of suspected cases and strengthen cooperation between communities and responders.

Community trust becomes a frontline tool

The response is therefore not limited to hospitals and laboratories.

Health authorities need communities to report suspected cases quickly, accept contact-tracing measures and seek treatment without delay. Building trust between residents and response teams is consequently as important as increasing medical capacity.

The government is seeking to combine administrative mobilization with community engagement to ensure that response teams can reach vulnerable populations and that patients are referred before the disease becomes life-threatening.

A response built on several fronts

The DRC’s strategy is increasingly becoming a multi-layered operation: security to protect access, laboratories to accelerate diagnosis, treatment centers to improve patient care, territorial authorities to remove administrative barriers, and communities to strengthen early detection and contact tracing.

The challenge now is implementation.

With transmission continuing across six provinces and thousands of confirmed cases already recorded, the effectiveness of the response will depend on whether these measures can reach the communities where the virus continues to spread.

For the Congolese government, containing the outbreak will therefore require more than expanding medical resources. It will require ensuring that health workers can safely reach affected populations, that suspected cases are identified and treated quickly, and that communities remain fully engaged in the fight against the virus.