The IRC said on October 21, 2026, that 85% of people surveyed in the DRC would avoid Ebola care because they did not trust the responders. The finding came as the IRC expanded its response in Beni and Butembo, where the outbreak is still widening.
That survey covered 80 people in three health zones. Nearly 100% said they knew about Ebola, but half said trust in health authorities and responders had eroded since the outbreak began, and 45% pointed to burials as the biggest source of tension.
Katie Thomas-Canfield on trust
Katie Thomas-Canfield, the IRC Ebola response director, said, “People understand Ebola. That is not why they are rejecting the response,” and added that resistance is being driven by a slow start to the response, communication that focuses only on Ebola and overlooks people’s other urgent needs, and too little involvement of young people and community groups.
She also said, “As we expand our response into the Grand Nord Kivu region, our success will depend as much on rebuilding community trust as on how well we protect people from infection and keep them informed.” The line places trust at the center of the next phase, not as a side issue.
North Kivu and the IRC
The DRC had 9,552 reported Ebola cases and more than 4,600 deaths since the outbreak was declared on May 15, 2026. Ebola was affecting 66 of 167 health zones, with North Kivu reporting 2,084 cases and 1,176 deaths to date.
In North Kivu, WHO said 86% of all Ebola deaths occurred in communities. The IRC also said 65% of respondents said Ebola was separating children from their parents through death, isolation or hospitalization, which leaves families weighing care against separation at the moment they need help most. WHO warns DRC Ebola surge could eclipse 2014 to 2016
Beni and Butembo response
The IRC said its expansion in Beni and Butembo is aimed at the places where mistrust is already shaping behavior. The survey result that nearly everyone knows about Ebola but 85% would still avoid care shows the gap is not awareness alone; it is whether families believe the people at the front line will help them safely.
That gap also gives the response a narrow practical target: rebuild trust, involve community groups, and keep communication from narrowing to Ebola alone. The outbreak has already crossed into Kenya and Nigeria in recent days, and the latest figures place the DRC near 10,000 cases, which makes delay in seeking care a direct operational problem for containment. DRC Ebola Disease Outbreak Reaches 3,200 Cases and 1,405 Deaths
