Perceptions of COVID-19 in faith communities in DR Congo

This article explores the perceptions of COVID-19 among faith communities in north-eastern DR Congo and their intersection with public health responses to disease outbreaks. In a situation of a political and economic insecurity and significant unaddressed health needs, faith communities have a strong trusted public presence and offer resilience in the face of political insecurity, limited state intervention and outbreaks of disease. Semi-structured interviews of members, leaders and medical professionals from seven faith communities in Ituri and North-Kivu were analysed using a thematic framework. The article demonstrates that faith communities and their leaders have a range of opinions on the causes of and responses to COVID-19 that illuminate long term trends in a complex faith-health landscape. It identifies that all faith communities have spiritual responses to disease. Some of those responses cohere with public health messages. Others run counter to them. It argues that understanding the nature, range and variability of these perceptions and their impact on public behaviour is valuable to enable those engaged in public health to work with trusted, resilient communities even where their perceptions of disease are contradictory.

Automated summary

This article examines how faith communities in north-eastern DR Congo perceive COVID-19 and how their perceptions intersect with public health responses to disease outbreaks. The study finds that faith communities and their leaders have varied opinions on the causes of and responses to COVID-19, which shed light on long term trends in the complex interaction between faith and health. Understanding these perceptions and their impact on public behavior is valuable in working with trusted and resilient communities, even when their views on disease contradict public health messages.