Since mid-May 2026, more than 300 children have died in the Ebola outbreak in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), according to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF). Children represent nearly a quarter of confirmed cases but account for almost a third of all deaths.

The outbreak is concentrated in Ituri province, the most affected area, where nearly one million people have been displaced by conflict, with women and children comprising around 80 percent of those displaced, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported.

The health crisis has severely disrupted essential healthcare services. UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq noted that in the hardest-hit areas, use of health services has dropped by more than 40 percent in recent months due to fear of infection. This has particularly impacted pregnant women, with roughly six women dying each week from childbirth-related complications and Ebola infection during pregnancy linked to almost universal fetal loss.

To combat the outbreak, approximately 13,000 community workers have been deployed by the Congolese health ministry and partners, including the Africa Centres for Disease Control (Africa CDC), UNICEF, and the World Health Organization (WHO). WHO convened advisory groups following the declaration of the Bundibugyo species outbreak as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on 16 May 2026.

Health experts are urging trials of the only vaccine against the disease to help halt the further spread of the rare Bundibugyo strain.

Sources