Bunia, September 21st, 2026 (CPA): – The vaccination of the military governor of Ituri, in the north-east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), has been described on Monday by the head of a mutual health insurance scheme as a gesture of support for the response to the Ebola virus disease and a mean of raising public awareness.
“The fact that the military governor of Ituri, Major-General Gaby Kasongo Mulumba, was among the first to receive the vaccine is a powerful gesture that demonstrates the importance of taking the response seriously and supporting efforts to protect our community,” has declared Nana Sumbuso, coordinator of the ‘Ma Priorité’ mutual health organisation. She has called on the public to pay particular attention to the preventive measures put in place against Ebola. By making it clear that the authorities’ involvement in the vaccination campaign also sends a signal in favour of community mobilisation, at a time when public support remains crucial to stop the spread of the disease. Ms Sumbuso has encouraged the people of Ituri to seek information from health teams in order to better understand the measures taken as part of the response, particularly those relating to vaccination. “Let’s seek information from health teams. Let’s ask questions and seek explanations,” she has urged, calling on the population to prioritise information from authoritative health sources. The health mutual scheme coordinator has also called on families, community leaders, religious leaders, young people and health workers to help raise awareness of prevention methods and to avoid spreading unverified information.
Combating rumours surrounding the response
Addressing the issue of rumours circulating about the response, Ms Sumbuso emphasised the need to verify information before sharing it. “Let us not pass on messages that cause fear without checking their sources. Let us not allow rumours to make decisions for us,” she has affirmed, highlighting the importance of communication based on reliable information. Consequently, she has argued that the fight against Ebola requires, in addition to health interventions, community involvement in prevention and the dissemination of awareness messages. “Our weapon is reliable information. Our strength is solidarity. Our responsibility is prevention,” she has emphasised, before calling on the people of Ituri to support the response efforts, to comply with preventive measures and to help in protecting the community against Ebola virus disease.CPA/