Ebola misinformation is fueling attacks on health workers in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

A Recent review, External About a third of respondents to a survey by the Ituri-based charity ActionAid did not believe Ebola was a real disease, instead seeing it as a spiritual phenomenon or the result of magic.

“Ebola misinformation is Ebola’s biggest partner,” Dr Wessam Mankula from the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told the BBC. “False rumors give more opportunities to those who need help and to delay the attacks on health workers and health facilities, thereby controlling the epidemic and allowing the virus to spread.”

Mistrust has been fueled by decades of instability in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo – from long-running conflict to foreign intervention and competition for precious minerals such as gold and coltan by rival companies and armed groups.

“You have a strong base where you don’t trust anything from outside, including the central government,” said Dr. Jean-Vivien Mombuli, who has previously advised governments in the region on how to respond to Ebola outbreaks.

Health officials have warned that containing the epidemic depends as much on rebuilding trust in medicine as they cannot do their work without the acceptance of communities.

Dr. Theodore Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization, said: “Distrust is the real battlefield.” He wrote on social media, External In June. “Win the faith, and we will win this.”