Ebola resurgence in Bunia: a plea for a neighbourhood awareness-raising

Bunia, November 1^st, 2026 (CPA).- A plea for the strengthening of awareness-raising activities against Ebola has been made on Sunday at CPA by a local councillor following the resurgence of confirmed cases reported in recent days in certain neighbourhoods of Bunia, in Ituri, in the north-east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. “We are deeply concerned about this situation, which is affecting the lives of our people. We call on the Congolese government, particularly the Ministry in charge of Health, to mobilise further medical and financial resources so that this epidemic can be effectively managed and eradicated in our city,”  Jeremy Bahati, the local councillor for Mbunya has declared. According to this local councillor, several deaths and cases of infection have been recorded over the past two weeks in the Bankoko neighbourhood, a situation which, in his view, requires more sustained intervention by the health authorities. Mr Bahati has lamented the lack of community awareness-raising activities in the neighbourhoods, arguing that the messages disseminated through the media, social media and posters do not always reach all sections of the population. In his view, the response should rely more heavily on community liaisons and local stakeholders, particularly through door-to-door awareness campaigns, in order to convey information on preventive measures directly to households. “We have community representatives and several stakeholders capable of contributing to this awareness-raising. Health services can utilise them by providing the necessary logistical resources and equipment to reach the population directly,” he has argued. The local councillor has also called on the residents of Bunia to observe the protective measures recommended by public health services, in order to reduce the risk of infection and limit the spread of the virus. He has also reaffirmed the willingness of local elected representatives to support community mobilisation initiatives, with a view to helping bring the epidemic in the town of Bunia to an end.  For this elected representative, strengthening local awareness-raising efforts, with the involvement of community representatives and local authorities, is a key means of improving Ebola prevention amongst the population.