Bunia, October 15th, 2026 (CPA).– Progress has been made in the Ebola response in Ituri province (in the north-east of the Democratic Republic of Congo), five months after the outbreak was declared, despite significant ongoing challenges on the ground linked to insecurity and difficulties in accessing healthcare, has indicated the chair of the Provincial Youth Council, on Thursday.
“Five months after the official declaration of the outbreak, our view remains mixed. We are seeing real progress in risk communication and community engagement, but the response continues to face significant difficulties on the ground, linked to insecurity and difficulties in accessing healthcare,” has declared Deogratias Bungamuzi.
The President of the Ituri Provincial Youth Council has noted that the residents of Bunia have gradually come to accept the existence of the disease and are cooperating more closely with health teams, adding that this development is reflected in particular by families’ participation in health investigations, as well as by requests for dignified and safe burials.
“In the Bunia and Rwampara health zones, a decline in deaths has also been observed, whilst several surveillance indicators are improving,” he has noted with satisfaction.
However, Mr Bungamuzi has pointed out that the situation remains a cause for concern in certain areas in the interior of the province, particularly in Mangala and other localities within the Djugu territory, where insecurity, a lack of suitable healthcare facilities and resistance from the local community are complicating response efforts.
On this occasion, he highlighted that delays in the treatment of patients and recurrent strikes by healthcare providers are among the obstacles to the continuity of response activities. In light of this situation, Mr Bungamuzi called for the regular payment of healthcare providers, the strengthening of epidemiological surveillance and the continuation of community awareness-raising.
He has also recommended rigorous monitoring of funds allocated to the response in order to prevent alleged misappropriation that could undermine health interventions. Despite the progress made, the chair of the Provincial Youth Council maintained that building trust between communities and health teams remains essential to better control of the epidemic.