Protect Uganda-DRC Border Communities from Ebola

Dear Donor,

Every hour can matter during an Ebola outbreak. The latest WHO data show that the DRC has recorded 7,258 confirmed cases and 3,510 deaths, with the outbreak continuing to affect new geographical areas.

Development Alert continues emphasizing early reporting and safe referral as essential components of community preparedness.

Our community education activities encourage people who develop serious or unusual symptoms to seek professional medical assessment promptly rather than remaining at home or relying on unverified remedies.

We also encourage families to communicate concerns through established health channels. Community members should not attempt to transport or physically handle suspected Ebola patients themselves when trained health services can provide guidance.

This distinction is important. Community preparedness is about recognizing risks and connecting people to professional care—not asking volunteers or families to perform medical procedures for which they are not trained.

Development Alert works with local leaders, community volunteers and other trusted groups to explain why early reporting matters. We also address fears surrounding contact tracing and referral.

People may be reluctant to report illness because of stigma, fear of isolation or misinformation. Open community dialogue can help address these concerns.

Contact tracing is another important component of preparedness. Once a suspected or confirmed case is identified, trained health teams can determine who may have been exposed and monitor contacts according to established protocols.

WHO continues to identify surveillance, laboratory testing, clinical care and community engagement among the central pillars of the DRC response.

Development Alert complements these formal systems by helping communities understand how and when to communicate concerns.

Early reporting gives trained responders an opportunity to act sooner, protect contacts and potentially prevent additional chains of transmission.

Dear Donor,

The latest Ebola figures from the Democratic Republic of Congo underline the importance of infection prevention and control. WHO reports 7,258 confirmed cases and 3,510 deaths as of 13 September, with cases detected across 62 health zones in seven provinces.

Development Alert continues promoting practical infection-prevention measures within communities, schools and other public settings.

Our activities emphasize regular handwashing, appropriate hygiene, maintaining clean shared spaces, responsible health-seeking behavior and following instructions from qualified health authorities. These measures are important not only during an Ebola outbreak but also for reducing the spread of other infectious diseases.

We recognize that prevention cannot depend exclusively on hospitals and treatment centers. People spend most of their time in households, schools, markets, workplaces, places of worship and transport settings. Preparedness must therefore extend into those environments.

We are engaging community leaders and volunteers to promote practical health messages and encourage communities to maintain basic hygiene facilities. In schools, teachers can reinforce handwashing and hygiene behavior among children, who can then share these practices with their families.

We are also paying attention to transport communities. Boda boda riders, drivers and traders interact with people from different locations every day and can help circulate accurate public-health information.

Healthcare-worker protection remains another important pillar. Development Alert promotes cooperation with trained health personnel and encourages communities not to expose volunteers or untrained individuals to suspected Ebola cases.

WHO reports that the official response continues to include infection prevention and control, laboratory testing, clinical care, community engagement and logistics.

Our role is to reinforce these efforts at grassroots level.

Your support helps make prevention practical—through knowledge, hygiene, community engagement and stronger links between rural households and health services.