Democratic Republic Of Congo - Alain Alithum: Restoring Trust In Communities Affected By Bundibugyo Virus Disease

(MENAFN- APO Group)

In the streets of Mongbwalu, in Ituri province, Alain Alithum walks each day with a mission that goes beyond community sensitization. A socio anthropologist mobilized by the World Health Organization (WHO), Alithum has become a key figure in his health zone during the response to Ebola caused by Bundibugyo virus. His role is not to address anonymous crowds, but rather to sit in homes, listen to fears, answer doubts and sometimes after long hours of dialogue, convince entire families to cross the threshold of the Ebola treatment centre.

“I intervene in the most difficult and strategic situations where no solution has yet been found. I do not carry out mass sensitization. But I am in the community every day,” explains Alithum. Between 26 August and 29 October 2026, he convinced around 30 people to seek care at the Ebola treatment centre, often in contexts of refusal, flight or deep mistrust. His interventions reached nearly 600 people across the families he visited.

The case fatality rate of the current Bundibugyo virus disease outbreak is around 48% in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Alithum's work unfolds in a reality where fear of the Ebola treatment centre is widespread. Survivors are few, rumours are many, and families sometimes prefer to hide rather than risk a transfer. For many, the ambulance that takes a patient to the centre is synonymous with death. In this climate, Alithum's patient listening becomes a decisive tool.

Francine Mave, 39, lost her husband after he chose to be treated by a traditional healer instead of going to the Ebola treatment centre. Ten days later, Mave developed symptoms of Ebola.“I hid because I was convinced that nobody comes out alive from the centre,” she recalls.

It was Alithum who knocked at her door.“He insisted a lot, showing me the dangers I was exposing my children and other close relatives to,” says Mave. She finally agreed on condition that neighbours would not see her boarding an ambulance. She walked to the centre, was confirmed positive, treated and declared cured after eight days. Today, she describes herself as an“ambassador of the centre” in her neighbourhood.“I owe my survival to Papa Alain. My return was celebrated by all the neighbours who now believe that the centre is a place of treatment and not a place of death,” she says.

Born and raised in Mongbwalu, Alithum knows the social realities of the locality intimately. Before joining the response, he worked as a researcher on mining governance in a region where gold structures economic and social life. This background allowed him to build a wide network among customary authorities, mining cooperatives and community leaders.

“As a son of the area, people do not accuse me of joining the Ebola response just to find work. On the contrary, they know me and trust me,” he stresses.

This local legitimacy is a major asset. When a family refuses a safe and dignified burial or a decontamination, Alithum identifies the right interlocutors to restore dialogue. He mobilizes street chiefs, survivors and traditional healers, transforming reluctance into acceptance.

Jules Villa, a medical anthropologist at the Institut Pasteur in Paris and deployed to the Eboal response in the Democratic Republic of the Congo through the GOARN network, has seen Alithum at work. He describes his contribution as remarkable.“Alain knows how to mobilize his knowledge of the city to put his interlocutors at ease and talk about something other than the outbreak,” notes Villa.“I admire his initiative and his ability to find solutions, even in the most tragic situations.”

For Alithum, each intervention carries immense responsibility. His commitment goes beyond the fight against Ebola. He embodies the contribution of social sciences to epidemic response: understanding patients' trajectories, collective fears, networks of influence, and using this knowledge to save lives.

After losing his wife, Gashamba Mugisha Muzungu, 36, fled with his sick son, convinced, like many others, that nobody returns from the Ebola treatment centre. Despite the efforts of response teams, he refused any transfer. Alithum multiplied visits and mobilized survivors to testify. The father eventually agreed to evacuate his son, but it was too late to save his life.

A few days later, Gashamba himself fell ill. Again reluctant, he finally accepted care after Alithum's final intervention and survived.“I lost my wife and my son, but I gained a brother,” he confides.“Ebola will pass, but our friendship will remain.”

Today, in Mongbwalu, survivors like Gashamba have become the best ambassadors of the response, showing that the centre can save lives.“The fight against Ebola is a collective mission. Survivors play an essential role in overcoming reluctance,” Alithum emphasises. For him, the greatest victory is to see fear give way to hope within his community.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of WHO Regional Office for Africa.

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