THE HALFAX HEIMDALL AUGUR

📖 New from @gavi.org: In eastern #DRC, misinformation is complicating efforts to contain the #Ebola outbreak. Community, religious, and public leaders are helping build trust and counter rumours. 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲: bit.ly/4fNQCNI #Ebola #DRC #GlobalHealth

When rumours spread faster than Ebola - Nature Email Bluesky Facebook LinkedIn Reddit Whatsapp X Doctors Without Borders (MSF) doctors wearing personal protective equipment move through the isolated red zone to monitor patients, provide medical care, and ensure sanitation of the facility at the Ebola Treatment Center (ETC) in Munigi on June 2, 2026. Credit: Getty Lire en français When a popular young man died in the town of Rwampara in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), relatives demanded that his body be returned for burial on family land. Health authorities refused, citing the infection risks associated with Ebola. Soon afterwards, angry residents set fire to Ebola treatment tents in the town, highlighting how fragile trust can become during an outbreak. Over the following days, Ebola isolation facilities in nearby Mongbwalu in Ituri Province were also attacked and burned, reportedly allowing several suspected patients to flee. For health officials, the incidents illustrated a familiar but dangerous pattern. Ebola outbreaks are fought not only in clinics and laboratories, but also in communities where rumours, fear and mistrust can spread faster than the virus itsel…

"Misinformation is hampering efforts to contain a deadly Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo... in northeastern Ituri province, at the centre of the outbreak, nearly one in three people does not believe that Ebola is real." myrepublica.nagariknetwork.com/news/no-ebol...

Social media are being used to deny the existence of ebola and its treatment. Misinformation making it harder for health officials to do their work. Building trust is key to stopping the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the IFRC says | IFRC share.google/iJe5rZgLx0d9...

Ebola outbreak: A crisis of history, not misinformation Home Africa DRC Related stories Health Feature 12 June 2026 Ebola outbreak: Uganda’s movement restrictions cripple cross-border trade Health Interview 8 June 2026 DRC’s Ebola response must be anchored locally: Muyembe Share & more Republish article Share Share on Bluesky Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn Share via WhatsApp Share via email SAN FRANCISCO, United States, KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of the Congo Every global health textbook starts with colonialism. International health and extraction went hand in hand for centuries. Disease prevention in the colonies had one main aim: Keep the subjugated population healthy enough to allow resource extraction. Last month, when an angry crowd in Mongbwalu – the epicentre of the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) – burned down an Ebola treatment tent, the international response was to engage in more risk communication, education, and correction of misinformation. The embedded assumption is that people in affected parts of the DRC are resisting response efforts because they lack an understanding of Ebola and the danger it presents. While communit…

The Playbook of Health Disinformation and the Ebola Outbreak in the DRC ... Share On 17 May 2026, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda an international public health emergency. According to the WHO, as of 16 May 2026, eight laboratory-confirmed cases, 246 suspected cases, and 80 probable deaths had been reported in Ituri province in the DRC, as well as two confirmed cases in Kampala, Uganda. The WHO justified its decision by citing the risk of further international spread, significant uncertainty about the true scale of the outbreak, and the need for coordinated international measures.[1] Health emergencies not only create medical and organisational pressure to act, but also generate an information vacuum. Especially in the first days of an outbreak, much remains unclear: How did the outbreak occur? How many people are affected? Which regions are impacted? What measures are necessary? What risks exist for other countries? This uncertainty provides a favourable moment for disinformation. This is true for Ebola, and equally so in the DRC and Uganda. Immediately after the WHO declaration, the first …

Disinformation and Disease: Social Media and the Ebola Epidemic in ... Council on Foreign Relations Share By experts and staff Published August 20, 2019 11:39 a.m. David P. Fidler Senior Fellow for Global Health and Cybersecurity Share Having recently entered its second year, the outbreak of the Ebola virus disease in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) continues to challenge national, regional, and international health officials. Since being declared on August 1, 2018, the epidemic has grown significantly in cases, deaths, and as a threat to neighboring countries. In July, the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that the outbreak constituted a public health emergency of international concern. The reasons why this outbreak developed into an international emergency are many, including problems created by armed conflict in the DRC and inadequate support from the international community. Included in the mix of factors is the spread of disinformation through social media about the Ebola outbreak and responses to it. The context in the DRC has proved ripe for proliferation of online disinformation about Ebola. Violence associated with the armed conf…

Africa: Ebola Outbreak - a Crisis of History, Not Misinformation SAN Francisco, United States, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo —Even with a pause in the violence, communities will still need to be heard - and to be convinced that responders mean them well. Every global health textbook starts with colonialism. International health and extraction went hand in hand for centuries. Disease prevention in the colonies had one main aim: Keep the subjugated population healthy enough to allow resource extraction. Last month, when an angry crowd in Mongbwalu - the epicentre of the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) -burned downan Ebola treatment tent, the international response was to engage in more risk communication, education, and correction of misinformation. The embedded assumption is that people in affected parts of the DRC are resisting response efforts because they lack an understanding of Ebola and the danger it presents. Follow us onWhatsApp|LinkedInfor the latest headlines While communitiessubscribe to clearly false rumoursthat Ebola is a hoax or being spread by government and international responders, the reasons such misinformati…