An outbreak of Ebola misinformation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is causing fear and confusion among the public, with some believing that healthcare workers are intentionally infecting people with the virus, as warned by the Red Cross.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has raised concerns about a parallel epidemic of misinformation aggravating the ongoing Bundibugyo strain outbreak, responsible for thousands of infections in the DRC and Uganda since May. Incidents of violence against volunteers, destruction of medical facilities, and attacks on hospitals by locals who are struggling to comprehend the reality of the disease have been reported.

Misinformation has distorted public perception to the extent where individuals are led to believe that doctors are administering the virus through injections. Alex Lock, a communications officer with the ICRC in the DRC, highlighted the challenge of widespread mistrust within communities and efforts to educate and reassure the public through community volunteers.

The DRC Ministry of Health announced a grim milestone, with 1,094 confirmed cases, 277 related deaths, and 387 hospitalizations in isolation. Ituri province is the most affected region, accounting for the majority of cases, with the rest distributed across North Kivu and South Kivu.

The outbreak has also reached France, with the first cases confirmed in a doctor who recently returned from a humanitarian mission in the DRC. Despite the World Health Organization (WHO) declaring the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), the overall global risk remains low.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and French officials emphasized the importance of not panicking, with reassurances that the risk of Ebola spreading widely is minimal. However, the situation in the DRC remains precarious, particularly with the spread of misinformation, underscoring the urgency of containing the outbreak and dispelling false beliefs about the disease’s existence.

The ICRC stressed the critical need for early detection, appropriate containment measures, and community engagement to combat the outbreak effectively. Recognizing the active role of communities as responders, efforts are underway to ensure the dissemination of accurate information and promote life-saving practices to mitigate the impact of Ebola in the region.