Kinshasa, June 28th, 2026 (CPA).- President Félix Tshisekedi has called on residents of provinces affected by the resurgence of the Ebola epidemic in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to cooperate closely with health authorities in order to facilitate the response efforts, according to the report of the 93rd Cabinet meeting. « The President of the Republic therefore urges our fellow citizens to cooperate closely with health and administrative authorities, facilitate the work of response teams, strictly observe preventive measures, particularly hygiene rules, barrier measures and health service recommendations, and immediately report any suspected case or death showing symptoms consistent with the disease, » said Digital Economy Minister Augustin Kibasa while reading the Cabinet report. « Ebola Virus Disease must never be trivialized or become the subject of rumors and misinformation likely to undermine ongoing response efforts. Our collective vigilance, discipline and sense of responsibility constitute the strongest defense against its spread, » President Félix Tshisekedi was quoted as saying by Minister Kibasa. The Head of State stressed that the success of the response also depends on the active involvement of the population. « He emphasized that beyond the considerable efforts deployed by public authorities and response teams on the ground, the success of this response also relies on the active, responsible and sustained participation of the population, particularly those living in affected areas or in zones at risk of the disease spreading, » the minister reported.
Awareness campaign to be intensified
To this end, the Minister in charge of Public Health, the Minister of Communication and Media and Government Spokesperson, as well as the Military Governor of Ituri Province, have been instructed to continuously and jointly strengthen public awareness, information and mobilization campaigns with the support of political and administrative authorities, community leaders, religious leaders, civil society organizations and other opinion leaders in the affected areas. The Head of State reaffirmed his determination, implemented through the Government with the support of its partners, to ensure an effective, coordinated and appropriate response to the Ebola Virus Disease outbreak, which marks the 17th occurrence of the disease in the DRC. During the latest meeting of the Task Force monitoring the response, President Tshisekedi issued a series of directives, including the reinforcement of police deployment in affected areas and the introduction of a mandatory 21-day observation period for travellers arriving from the affected provinces.