Ebola: Prevention, Trust, and the Case for Preparedness

This article draws on two U.S.-based awareness briefings intended to encourage international solidarity with affected communities. As Prof. Muyembe put it, “Ebola is not a threat only for the DRC. It is a threat for the world. We must work together.” On June 11, the Africa Faith and Justice Network and Advocacy Network for Africa co-organized a briefing featuring Dr. Nsengi Ntamabyaliro and Dr. Alice Lamwaka Veronica. On June 4, 2026, Action for Congo hosted Prof. Jean-Jacques Muyembe. 

Although the speakers approached the subject from different professional and national contexts, their message converged: Ebola can be contained, but only when clinical care is matched by community trust, protected health workers, local diagnostic capacity, and sustained investment. 

What Ebola Is and What Is Not

Ebola virus disease is caused by viruses in the Ebola family. It is named after the Ebola River in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, near the site of the first recognized outbreak in 1976. The older term “Ebola hemorrhagic fever” is no longer preferred because not every patient develops bleeding.

Symptoms can include fever, severe weakness, headache, muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. In severe cases, Ebola can cause dehydration, shock, organ failure, and sometimes bleeding. Symptoms generally appear between two and 21 days after exposure. Because early signs may resemble malaria, typhoid fever, or other common illnesses, rapid laboratory testing is essential.

Ebola is not airborne like diseases transmitted through respiratory aerosols. It spreads through direct contact with the blood or other body fluids of someone who is sick or has died from the disease, or through contaminated objects and surfaces. This is why caregivers, health workers, and people participating in funerals must be protected. 

Care, Protection, and Detection

Dr. Nsengi emphasized that early supportive care saves lives. Patients may need IV fluids and electrolyte replacement, oxygen, nutritional care, and treatment for complications and other infections. Those who reach care late may suffer severe kidney, liver, or other organ damage—even after the virus itself is no longer detectable.

“The first and most important treatment for Ebola virus disease is supportive treatment: rehydration and aggressive rehydration.” —Dr. Nsengi Ntamabyaliro

Prof. Muyembe and Dr. Nsengi stressed a proven response strategy: rapidly identify suspected cases; isolate and care for confirmed patients; trace and monitor close contacts; and prevent further exposure. These measures can break the chain of transmission and bring an outbreak under control.

Health workers cannot do this safely without personal protective equipment, or PPE. Gloves, gowns or coveralls, masks or respirators, eye protection, boots, disinfectant, soap, clean water, and training in safe PPE use are all necessary. Dr. Nsengi described the physical difficulty of treating patients while wearing full PPE in hot conditions. Dr. Alice added that PPE must be accompanied by correct disinfection, safe removal procedures, adequate water, and well-trained staff; equipment alone cannot make a facility safe.

Local diagnostic capacity is equally important. Dr. Nsengi highlighted the barriers faced in remote areas: unreliable electricity, difficult transportation, limited supplies, and inadequate laboratory infrastructure. Investment in local laboratories, trained technicians, rapid specimen transport, and backup power must come before a crisis, not after it begins.

Trust Begins in Communities

The speakers agreed that communities are central to Ebola prevention. Prof. Muyembe noted that isolation, contact tracing, and other public-health measures cannot succeed without public acceptance. Dr. Nsengi described how fear and stigma can lead contacts to flee or avoid follow-up. Dr. Alice emphasized that early detection begins in villages and households, often before a patient reaches a hospital.6_11-Ebola-Briefing.docx.pdf+1

“Outbreaks begin in villages. It is never in the hospital.” —Dr. Alice Lamwaka Veronica

Dr. Alice’s experience in Uganda shows why local leadership matters. Traditional leaders, faith leaders, women’s groups, teachers, community health workers, schools, and local transport networks can help families recognize symptoms, seek care early, communicate reliable information, and safely adapt community practices. Women’s groups can be especially important in household communication, food support during quarantine, and community outreach.

Trust also matters when a person dies. Ebola can be transmitted through direct contact with bodies, but safe-burial measures must be communicated with compassion and respect. Families should understand the reasons for precautions, be informed about what happens to their loved ones, and be supported to grieve with dignity.

Preparedness and Solidarity

Vaccines are important, but they are strain-specific. Dr. Nsengi explained that ring vaccination—vaccinating close contacts and, where appropriate, their contacts—can help stop transmission. He added that “The ideal is to have everybody vaccinated, but sometimes we do not have enough vaccines, so we need to target the most exposed people.” It requires rapid diagnosis, sufficient vaccine supply, logistics, and public confidence. 

For the 2026 Bundibugyo virus disease outbreak discussed in these briefings, there was no approved vaccine or specific treatment. The vaccines and antibody therapies used for Ebola Zaire were not approved for Bundibugyo virus disease. Early supportive care, case identification, contact tracing, and infection prevention therefore remained the principal tools while research continued.

A serious preparedness agenda should include:

• Regular Ebola-response drills involving health workers, local authorities, community leaders, schools, and faith communities.
• Reliable stocks of PPE, disinfectant, soap, clean water, IV fluids, oxygen, and essential medicines in health facilities.
• Local laboratory capacity, rapid sample transport, backup electricity, and trained diagnostic personnel.
• Ongoing training in infection prevention, case identification, referral, contact tracing, and safe burials.
• Sustained funding for health workers and community-based surveillance.
• Continued research on vaccines and treatments for multiple Ebola viruses, not only the Zaire strain.
• Meaningful partnership with women’s groups, traditional leaders, faith communities, schools, and other community structures before—not only during—an emergency.

Ebola cannot presently be eliminated from nature because the viruses have animal reservoirs. But human outbreaks can be stopped. The critical question is whether the world will invest before the next emergency: protecting frontline workers, strengthening local systems, supporting African scientific leadership, and building the community trust that makes public-health measures work.