Editor's Note: Three months after the WHO declared an Ebola outbreak in the DRC and Uganda, communities in affected areas are still grappling with the disease. CGTN Africa travelled to Mongbwalu, a mining town in northeastern DRC where the first cases were reported, to see how the outbreak has reshaped daily life.

Twelve weeks after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared an Ebola outbreak in the northeastern province of Ituri of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), residents and medics in the gold-mining town of Mongbwalu remain resilient as they continue with efforts to contain the deadly disease.

The outbreak involves the rare Bundibugyo strain, which there is currently no approved vaccine or treatment. The strain has spread faster than any of the country's 16 previous Ebola outbreaks.

This has made the Ebola outbreak the largest on record in the DRC. As of August 12, the DRC had registered over 4,400 confirmed cases of Ebola and more than 2,000 deaths, most of them in Ituri.

Mongbwalu, a town of 140,000 perched on one of the region's goldfields, is one of the epicenters engulfed by the outbreak. Here, local health workers are waging daily battles against one of deadliest viruses known to man.

The spread is fanned by numerous factors, including a highly-mobile mining labor force, a large number of people displaced by armed violence in Ituri, and inadequate health infrastructure. Aid funding cuts by some key Western donors have also crippled mitigation operations, while healthcare workers have periodically staged strikes over delayed wages. 

At times, hostile crowds have even targeted treatment centres and medical personnel, disrupting intervention measures.

"If you attack a health center or healthcare workers, even symptomatic people outside become afraid to come in for treatment," warned Dieudonne Amboko, a nurse in Mongbwalu, who called for improved security for health facilities and workers.

During a recent visit to the town, DRC Prime Minister Judith Suminwa Tuluka advised that, "without community engagement, we cannot eradicate this disease."

Despite these challenges, patients are recovering, giving hopes to hundreds of others blighted by the disease.

“I was the only patient to recover among all the confirmed Ebola cases that day. Sadly, all the others died,” said Deogratias Kasereka, who was the first patient to recover in Mongbwalu. He has since visited local visiting communities, raising awareness about prevention and encouraging anyone with symptoms to seek immediate medical care.

Congolese medics remain the country's primary line of defense against the virus in Mongbwalu.

At the Mongbwalu General Hospital, these teams attend to Ebola patients on one hand and also sustain surveillance measures of new infections on the other.

"It's difficult and it weighs on me, but it's our mission, and we're doing our best," said Heritier Ngabu, the head nurse at the hospital. 

These medics have to battle persistent public mistrust against them, which has been fueled by misinformation about Ebola. 

"Imagine that someone falls ill, decides to stay home, and refuses to come to the treatment center. If that person later dies in the community, they may have infected dozens of people," said Dr Richard Lopayi, a staff at the Mongbwalu hospital.

Notwithstanding the outbreak, locals, including women, continue earning a living in Mongbwalu's mining-dependent economy. The miners have to balance between the risk of getting infected with Ebola or sleeping hungry if they don't work.

"I have eight children to feed, and this job is my only way to care for them. It means everything to me," Jeni Miriam, a widowed miner, said.

The gold mines in Mongbwalu often attract highly mobile labor from across eastern DRC and some of the neighboring countries, complicating efforts to contain Ebola.

Local authorities have attempted to control movement, but enforcement remains a challenge in the face of the limited economic opportunities, especially for women-led households.

Mining has also worsened water insecurity in Mongbwalu, with contaminated runoff polluting nearby fields and streams and forcing residents to walk several kilometers for safe drinking water. Despite rainfall for much of the year, access to clean water remains limited, hampering basic Ebola prevention measures such as handwashing.

"If there isn't enough water in the household, it's difficult to protect yourself against this disease," warned Isaac Lure, a local resident.

Some non-governmental organizations have set up water tanks to help improve the situation, but consistent access to clean water remains a challenge in Mongbwalu.

However, residents of Mongbwalu remain resilient as they have embraced some of the health measures promoted by the medics.

The mayor of Mongbwalu, Sesereki Mandro Israel, remains optimistic, saying that "we are seeing improvement and progress, as the public has gained a better understanding of the situation."

A local resident, Abigael Muvuna, added that "I no longer attend just any funeral, because I have to protect myself.”

These proactive steps have led to small wins as ordinary people attempt to go on with their lives in the shadow of a deadly virus. They hope that Mongbwalu will live up to its name, which means celebration in the local Nyali language.

Additional reporting by Djaffer Sabiti and Joël Djalumvor.