An estimated 1,737 children had died after being confirmed with Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo by 4 November, a child-focused assessment of the outbreak has found.
The assessment, published on 13 November, recorded 2,959 confirmed infections among people under 18 by the earlier date. It describes the toll on children six months after the outbreak was declared, including deaths, separation from families and disruption to routine healthcare and education.
The figures are a snapshot, not a count of deaths as of the publication date. The child estimates are based on confirmed cases for which age information was available. The outbreak has continued beyond the date covered by those figures.
Children face a disproportionate toll
Children under 18 accounted for 28 per cent of confirmed cases but 35 per cent of deaths in the assessment. Children under five represented 14 per cent of cases and 21 per cent of deaths. Nearly 72 per cent of infected children in that youngest group had died.
Those proportions describe reported cases and outcomes at a point in an ongoing outbreak. They do not predict what will happen to an individual child, and they should be read alongside the limitation that age information was not available for every confirmed case.
Approximately 80 per cent of deaths among children occurred outside Ebola treatment centres. Among children under five who were admitted to a centre, one in three died within 24 hours. The assessment highlights the difficulty of reaching specialist care early enough, although the figures alone do not explain why each family was unable to reach a centre sooner.
The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, one of the viruses that can cause Ebola disease. It can spread through direct contact with the blood or other bodily fluids of an infected person, or with contaminated materials. Early symptoms can resemble those of other illnesses, making laboratory testing important for confirmation.
There is no approved vaccine or specific treatment for Bundibugyo virus disease. Supportive care, including fluids and treatment of symptoms, can improve a patient’s chances of survival. Vaccine candidates are being studied; a trial does not by itself establish that a candidate works.
Family separation and healthcare
More than 2,280 children have been orphaned or separated from their families since the outbreak began. That combined figure does not mean every child has lost a parent: it also includes children who are separated from their families.
Sixteen nurseries are providing protection support, including identifying children, tracing their families, follow-up and referrals. UNICEF and its partners are working alongside the government-led response to strengthen care and maintain access to other services.
The pressure extends beyond the treatment of Ebola itself. Between January and September, births in health facilities in affected health zones of North Kivu fell by nearly 18 per cent compared with the same period the previous year. In Tshopo, nearly 11 per cent fewer children received their third dose of the vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough.
First-dose measles vaccination also fell in each of the three reporting provinces, with a decline of up to 7.6 per cent in South Kivu. These are reported changes in services, not a count of children who have contracted those diseases. The figures show why maintaining routine care matters alongside the response to Ebola.
Schools and emotional support
Almost 7,500 schools attended by nearly 2.5 million children had not yet been reached with infection-prevention measures. That does not mean all those schools had closed or that every pupil had stopped learning. More than 355,000 children had been supported to access safe learning, according to the assessment.
An early rapid assessment in Ituri found that 81 per cent of participating children said Ebola had made them feel afraid and stressed. Among parents taking part, 89 per cent said their own stress had increased. Those findings describe the people surveyed, rather than every family in the affected provinces.
Nearly 21,000 children have since been reached with individual mental health and psychosocial support. The needs identified range from safe care for infected children to help for those separated from relatives and support that allows schooling and other essential services to continue.
The outbreak is unfolding in communities already affected by conflict and displacement. Insecurity, difficulties reaching affected areas and attacks on health facilities have hampered the response. Health teams are working on surveillance, early detection and infection prevention as well as care, while seeking to keep essential services available to families.
