Feature|Articles|June 12, 2026

5 FAQs: Ebola Outbreaks and the Challenge of Public Trust

Fact checked by: Laura Joszt, MA, Amy Bucher, PhD

Distrust, misinformation, and conflict complicate Ebola response efforts in the DRC, highlighting broader challenges to public health trust.

The 17th Ebola outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo virus was declared a public health emergency of international concern by the World Health Organization on May 17, affecting the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda, but less than a week later, residents attacked and burned treatment facilities in the Ituri Province.¹