Staff Reports
The director-general of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, warned this week that violent attacks in the Democratic Republic of Congo have made contact tracing “nearly impossible.” He is flying to the region to plead for a ceasefire and to show that the W.H.O. is on the ground. Those are brave words. They are not, by themselves, a plan.
Why contact tracing has collapsed
Contact tracing depends on calm, access, and trust. In eastern DRC there is none of that. Armed gangs roam the region. People are fleeing into overcrowded camps. Treatment centers have been burned and health workers have been attacked. When patients run out of clinics during mob attacks, anyone they met can become a new case. That makes tracking who was exposed almost impossible. The pathogen at the center of this outbreak is the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which there is no approved vaccine. The result is grim: about 100 confirmed infections, more than 200 deaths, and nearly 1,000 suspected cases, according to local reports.
Trust was broken long before this outbreak
It is not enough to show up with syringes and banners and ask people to cooperate. The W.H.O. has been criticized for a slow initial response. Worse, past scandals involving sexual abuse by aid workers left deep scars in communities that already fear outside interference. Some locals believe Ebola is a foreign plot. Others cling to traditional burial customs that spread disease but also have deep cultural meaning. When an international agency has a credibility problem, even the best medical tools will be ignored or attacked. That is why Tedros’s plea for a ceasefire sounds noble but incomplete.
What must be done beyond speeches and selfies
First, security matters. Humanitarian corridors protected by trusted local forces are a practical start. Asking every gang to “please, declare a ceasefire” is hopeful, like asking the neighborhood bully to stop swinging. Second, the W.H.O. and partners must earn trust by fixing past wrongs. That means transparent investigations into abuse, vetting aid workers, and working with local leaders to adapt health measures to local customs. Third, the international community must accelerate research on Bundibugyo and expand treatments. Finally, accountability must follow slow action. Announcing a global health emergency is useful. So is showing measurable results beyond press conferences.
Tedros says he will not manage this from a comfortable office far away. Good. Words are cheap in crisis. What people in eastern DRC need now are secure routes for care, real community engagement, and disciplined help that doesn’t repeat past mistakes. If the W.H.O. wants to rebuild trust, it will have to do more than fly in and ask for a ceasefire. It will have to make good on security, transparency, and concrete medical progress — quickly. Otherwise, another emergency declaration will be nothing but another headline.
