Protect Uganda-DRC Border Communities from Ebola

Dear Donor,

Safe water, handwashing and hygiene remain fundamental components of community health protection.

The current Ebola emergency in the DRC has reached 7,258 confirmed cases and 3,510 deaths, according to WHO data through 13 September. The outbreak is now affecting 62 health zones in seven provinces.

Development Alert continues integrating WASH activities into community preparedness.

Our work encourages schools, public gathering places and rural communities to maintain accessible handwashing facilities and promote regular hand hygiene.

Schools are particularly important. Children can quickly carry health messages from classrooms into their homes. Teachers can reinforce proper handwashing and help children understand the importance of responsible health behavior.

Markets and transport stages are another priority because they bring together people from different communities. Hygiene facilities and clear health messages in these locations can support safer everyday interactions.

We also encourage households to maintain clean surroundings and practice appropriate hygiene as part of broader disease prevention.

The value of WASH extends beyond Ebola. Good hygiene practices can reduce transmission of numerous infectious diseases and contribute to healthier communities throughout the year.

Development Alert is therefore seeking to ensure that emergency preparedness becomes part of everyday community behavior rather than a temporary activity that disappears once an outbreak declines.

WHO's current response includes infection prevention and control, clinical care, laboratory testing, surveillance and community engagement.

Community-level WASH activities complement these wider measures by giving families practical actions they can take every day.

A handwashing facility may appear simple, but when it is available, maintained and used correctly, it becomes an important first line of protection.

Dear Donor,

The continuing Ebola outbreak demonstrates that public-health information must reach communities quickly and clearly. The latest WHO report records 7,258 confirmed cases and 3,510 deaths in the DRC as of 13 September, with the outbreak now affecting seven provinces.

Development Alert continues strengthening risk communication through trusted community networks.

During an outbreak, misinformation can create fear, stigma and dangerous delays in seeking care. A rumor that discourages someone from visiting a health facility can have consequences not only for that individual but also for family members and wider communities.

Our community engagement approach therefore focuses on practical, understandable information.

We work through local leaders, volunteers, teachers, women, youth, religious leaders and other trusted community representatives to encourage people to rely on verified health information.

We also encourage community members to ask questions. People may have legitimate concerns about isolation, treatment, contact tracing or movement restrictions. Creating space for those concerns allows misinformation to be addressed respectfully rather than allowing rumors to spread unchecked.

Another important objective is reducing stigma. People suspected of having Ebola, survivors, healthcare workers and families affected by the disease should not be treated as enemies or blamed for an outbreak.

Stigma can discourage people from reporting symptoms or cooperating with response teams.

Development Alert therefore combines health education with messages of compassion, dignity and solidarity.

WHO continues identifying community engagement as one of the core pillars of the response alongside surveillance, clinical care, laboratory testing, infection prevention and logistics.

Your support enables us to keep accurate information moving through communities—because informed people are better positioned to protect themselves, their families and their neighbors.