In DR Congo, JED warns of Ebola disinformation
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Actualité.cd
The NGO Journaliste en danger (JED) says rumours about Ebola are making access to reliable information more difficult and may discourage people from seeking care in DR Congo. Its 2026 report recalls that the Bundibugyo strain epidemic, declared on 15 May, had recorded 8,978 confirmed cases and 4,336 deaths by 10 October, according to official figures cited by Actualite.cd.
The NGO Journaliste en danger (JED) presented its 2026 annual report on Ebola-related disinformation and pressure on the media in Kinshasa, DR Congo. The presentation took place on 2 November, during the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists.
The report describes how rumours and distrust can delay people seeking care, increase mistrust of health teams and complicate epidemic surveillance. JED also notes that violence and the precarious situation of the media undermine the circulation of credible information.
According to the official figures cited in the report, the epidemic caused by the Bundibugyo virus had recorded 8,978 confirmed cases and 4,336 deaths by 10 October 2026. In total, 2,356 people had recovered and 945 were in isolation or hospital, across seven provinces.
The document reports that a fire destroyed the care centre in Bafwabongo, Nia-Nia, on 30 June. Two confirmed patients and seven suspected cases then fled. JED stresses that people present in an isolation facility are not necessarily all infected.
The figures cited in the report are lower than those published on 28 October, which put the number of deaths at nearly 5,000 and cases at 10,000 in DR Congo, in an update on the Ebola outbreak.
