Engaging Religious Leaders Key to Containing Ebola in DRC and Uganda

An opinion piece by Olivia Wilkinson and Katherine Marshall stresses that Ebola spreads through caring acts such as tending the sick and handling burials, and that mistrust and misinformation often lead to attacks on health facilities.

The authors point out that previous Ebola outbreaks suffered when response teams failed to involve religious and traditional leaders who oversee burial rites and are trusted in their communities.

They argue that immediate engagement of these leaders is essential as the disease spreads rapidly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, and that such collaboration could improve containment and community cooperation.