Lead

In the Democratic Republic of Congo's Ituri province, the epicentre of the current Ebola outbreak, fear of catching the virus is causing many residents to avoid hospitals for essential healthcare services, including for births and immunisations. New data shows a sharp decline in the use of these services, raising concerns among health officials about the broader impact on the population's health.

Coverage comparison

Reports from Africa News and AllAfrica highlight the dual challenge facing health authorities: on one hand, growing community trust in Ebola treatment centres offers some hope, while on the other, widespread fear and misinformation continue to drive people away from routine care.

Africa News reports that in the town of Bunia, medical staff say more people are coming to receive treatment for the haemorrhagic virus, making their care easier. However, the same outlet also notes that fear of infection is leading residents to avoid hospitals, with a 42 per cent decline in service use between April and June in the primary outbreak hotspots of Bunia, Mongbwalu, Nizi, and Rwampara.

AllAfrica, citing data from local authorities and UNICEF, corroborates this decline and provides additional details on the impact on children and women. The report states that routine childhood vaccinations fell by more than half across the hotspot areas, and facility-assisted deliveries dropped 13 per cent across the province.

Key claims

  • There has been a 42 per cent decline in the use of essential health services in primary outbreak hotspots between April and June, as reported by both Africa News and AllAfrica.
  • Routine childhood vaccinations fell by more than half across the hotspot areas, including a 69 per cent decline in first-dose measles vaccination in Mongbwalu, the outbreak epicentre, according to AllAfrica.
  • Facility-assisted deliveries fell 13 per cent across the province, with steeper declines in Bunia (38 per cent), Rwampara (30 per cent), and Nizi (70 per cent), as reported by AllAfrica.
  • As of 2 August 2026, there have been 743 confirmed child cases and 330 child deaths (ages 0-17), according to data cited by AllAfrica.
  • Africa News reports that 3,874 confirmed cases and 1,751 deaths have been recorded in the DRC since the start of the outbreak in mid-May, based on World Health Organization figures.
  • The United States has allocated more than $242 million in additional funding to combat the outbreak, according to Africa News.
  • WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who travelled to the DRC earlier this week, said the outbreak is spreading faster than the response, with new cases doubling in some hotspots over the past week alone, as reported by Africa News.

Perspectives

Health Workers

Health workers on the ground are experiencing the dual pressures of increased trust from some community members and persistent fear among others. Dr Job Kkabagambe Tibasima, deputy supervisor for the Ministry of Health at the Ebola Treatment Centre in Bunia, told Africa News that patients who come to the centre receive proper treatment and even thank the medical team, reflecting a positive shift in community relations. However, Losha Dhedda, head nurse at Bunia's Bigo Hospital, told Africa News that some referred patients lost their lives, which increased fear and discouraged people from seeking care. Dhedda also noted that many healthcare workers had been afraid to treat Ebola patients due to a lack of adequate personal protective equipment, though recent deliveries of infection prevention kits have helped alleviate those concerns.

UNICEF

UNICEF representative in the DRC, John Agbor, said in a statement reported by AllAfrica that "fear of infection, combined with disruptions to services, is deterring lots of children and their families from seeking care." He recounted a doctor's observation that his facility saw an average of 500 patients a month before the outbreak, but that number has dropped to "almost nothing." UNICEF has revised its six-month appeal to $113.45 million to sustain and expand life-saving interventions.

World Health Organization

The WHO, through its director-general, has called for an urgent scaling up of efforts. Tedros told Africa News that the outbreak is spreading faster than the scale-up of the response, and he emphasised the need to "massively scale up all our efforts," including reaching every affected community despite insecurity and displacement. The WHO has also stated that the outbreak requires political action towards a ceasefire to improve humanitarian access, as reported by Africa News.