Inside DRC's largest Ebola outbreak: a UNICEF worker's battle against fear and disease

At 5.40am, with the sun still below the horizon and the humidity already climbing in Bunia, Wivine Kabala's day begins.

Kabala is a psychosocial expert for UNICEF in Bunia, the epicentre of an Ebola outbreak that has now surpassed 7,000 cases and is the largest recorded in the region's history.

After the morning team handover, she dons protective gear and by 8am enters the Ebola treatment centre, passing a sign for the 'red zone' where patients are cared for. New patients and their families arrive quickly. On a recent day, a 17-year-old girl arrived with her six-year-old sister and a three-month-old baby; their mother had been hospitalised for several days, and the children did not really understand what was happening.

'I spend a lot of time talking to patients and their families, explaining what Ebola virus is,' Kabala told the ABC. Her role also involves easing the stress that patients and families are under, and helping transform the centre from a 'place of fear' into somewhere they feel reassurance.

Rumours and conspiracy theories have been spreading since the disease began several months ago, adding a second front to the outbreak. As she leaves the patient area, Kabala undergoes rigorous decontamination before removing her protective gear to meet children and families outside.

In Ituri, 28 of the province's 36 health zones have reported cases, the highest of any affected region, accounting for 5,406 confirmed cases as of September 10.

Analysis

Why This Matters

At more than 7,000 cases, the outbreak is the largest recorded in the region's history, and Ituri is bearing the heaviest load, with 28 of 36 health zones reporting cases.
The response extends beyond clinical care: with rumours and conspiracy theories circulating since the outbreak began, trust-building is a central part of containing the disease.
Children are particularly exposed — the treatment centre runs a nursery for children whose parents have been hospitalised, and young arrivals are often separated from their families during treatment.

Background

Ebola virus disease is a severe viral illness transmitted through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected people. The Democratic Republic of Congo has dealt with Ebola multiple times over the years, but the current outbreak has grown into the largest the region has recorded. Bunia, in Ituri province near the country's east, sits at the centre of the response, with the heaviest concentration of cases reported there.

Key Perspectives

Aid workers and psychosocial teams: For responders like Kabala, treatment is as much about communication and reassurance as medicine — explaining what the virus is, calming frightened families and helping children understand why a parent has been hospitalised.

Patients and their families: Many arrive at the centre without fully understanding what is happening; children in particular are thrust into an unfamiliar and frightening environment when a parent falls ill.

Public health authorities: Officials are fighting a second outbreak — of rumours and conspiracy theories — that has spread alongside the disease and can push families away from treatment, undermining containment efforts.

What to Watch

Whether confirmed cases continue to climb beyond 5,406 in Ituri and the 7,000-plus total, and how quickly the numbers move.
Whether the outbreak extends beyond the 28 of 36 Ituri health zones that have already reported cases.
The effectiveness of psychosocial teams in countering misinformation and rebuilding trust in treatment centres.

Analysis

Why This Matters

Background

Key Perspectives

What to Watch

Sources