‘Ebola is a business’: an analysis of the atmosphere of mistrust in the tenth Ebola epidemic in the DRC

This paper examines the atmosphere of mistrust that permeated the response to the tenth Ebola epidemic in Eastern DRC (2018–2020). It directs attention to the presence of mistrust in interactions between responders and communities during the Ebola epidemic. The analysis focuses on the popular notion that ‘Ebola is a business’ and examines this as a slogan that enabled people to voice mistrust.

The paper highlights the power of atmospheres in governing situations, mobilising people, and disrupting structures of discrimination. It aims to contribute to a better understanding of the barriers inhibiting the collaborations between affected communities and responders, which are required to deliver effective epidemic responses. Voice and the atmosphere are positioned as important analytics for exploring the histories of mistrust that Ebola epidemics ask for.