Congo-Kinshasa: Ebola - Motorbike Riders Carrying the Sick May Hold Key to Response Boost

What the report says

The World Health Organization said on Tuesday it is expanding community engagement and frontline surveillance in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as it confronts what UN News described as the deadliest Ebola outbreak in the country’s history. The update followed another attack on an ambulance in the outbreak zone, underscoring the risks facing health workers and transport teams.

According to the report, the outbreak has now passed 5,000 confirmed cases and has spread to a sixth province, Bas-Uele. Government data cited by UN News said deaths had risen to 2,325, exceeding the toll from the DRC’s 2018-2020 outbreak. WHO incident manager Dr. Thierno Baldé, speaking from Bunia, said responders are working to rebuild trust with communities that are dealing with sick relatives and repeated public health interventions.

A major part of the strategy is to work with motorbike riders, who often transport patients and bodies in affected areas. WHO wants to train them to alert surveillance teams when they carry someone who may be ill, helping suspected cases get tested faster. The agency is also adding 100 epidemiologists, more than 500 community health workers and around 400 additional beds, while pushing safer burials with local partners.

The report said the outbreak was declared by Congolese authorities on 15 May. It added that the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee was meeting again to assess the situation and advise on the current risk level.