'No Ebola here': misinformation stalls DR Congo response
Misinformation is hampering efforts to contain a deadly Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, as distrust spreads alongside the virus.
"There is no Ebola here, everyone is living their best life," said a woman in a widely shared video, claiming to be in the DRC.
"The only place there is Ebola is on social media and on international media," she said.
Her clip, which has been liked more than 41,000 times on X, is just one example among the flood of misinformation surrounding the latest outbreak, which has already killed 115 people in the DRC.
As with Covid-19, false claims range from denying the disease exists to accusing authorities of inventing it for financial gain, said epidemiologist Hemes Nkwa.
Online, but also in village squares, some blame witchcraft for sudden deaths, while others believe Ebola is a hoax designed to attract foreign aid.
The NGO ActionAid estimates that in northeastern Ituri province, at the centre of the outbreak, nearly one in three people does not believe that Ebola is real.
World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has warned that "misinformation is almost as dangerous as the virus itself, and spreads just as fast".
Almost beaten to death
Misinformation is delaying treatment, with many patients only seeking care very late, Saani Yakubu, ActionAid's country director, said.
It also makes it harder to trace contacts, as families withhold information and health workers fear visiting homes.
Some aid workers and government staff have even been attacked, Mamadou Kaba Barry, of the NGO Alima, told AFP.
Two of Alima's tents were set on fire at a hospital in Ituri last month after a patient's family tried to recover the body, defying safety rules for a disease they did not believe in.
Barry described vehicles being stoned and burial teams repeatedly targeted.
In the city of Bunia, relatives of a patient "almost beat to death" workers carrying out a safe burial in late May.
Many families suspect bodies are withheld because health workers are trafficking organs.
"People working here, on top of exhaustion, stress and dedication, also need security," said Barry.
All of this "prevents us from providing normal care", he added, stressing how important information was in the fight against Ebola, which is spread through close contact and bodily fluids.
Deep-rooted mistrust
Experts say misinformation has accompanied every Ebola outbreak but has surged in recent years with the rise of social media.
Beyond a lack of information, the issue reflects a deeper crisis of trust, said Nkwa, the epidemiologist.
"In the DRC, several Ebola outbreaks have taken place in settings shaped by insecurity, political tensions, poverty, and sometimes longstanding distrust of institutions," she said.
Rumours often fill a gap, Nkwa told AFP, helping people make sense of fear or reclaim a sense of control of the narrative.
The solution is to rebuild trust by working closely with communities, said ActionAid's Yakubu, including training ambassadors who can "share the information in their local languages".
According to experts, community leaders, survivors and even traditional healers, who Nkwa said have "strong social credibility", can play a role.
"When they become allies, their influence can significantly boost the public health response," she said.