Ebola Spreads In DR Congo As Aid Agencies Brace For Child Victims
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Health teams in personal protective equipment (PPE) respond to the Ebola outbreak in eastern DR Congo. Photo Credit: WHO/Joël Lumbala
Households the new target
To date, most infections have been among adults going about their daily lives, “but as the outbreak evolves, we must be prepared for increasing household transmission which means we may see more children affected in the days ahead”, warned Dr Douglas Noble, UNICEF Global Lead for Public Health Emergencies and Global Incident Manager for Ebola.
“These are already very vulnerable children, so the capacity for this community to absorb any additional stressors was already stretched to breaking point,” he said, noting that more than half of children under five in Ituri province are “chronically malnourished”.
Zero dose
More than one in five are also “zero dose” children, meaning that they have never had their first dose of diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine.
Estimating the number of children who may be affected is problematic because sufficient surveillance tracking data is not yet available.
Nonetheless, past Ebola outbreaks in DRC have shown that children “made up a significant share of cases and an even greater share of deaths, with the youngest facing the highest fatality rates and many left orphaned or separated from caregivers”, Dr Noble explained.
As part of its six-month response to help 3.7 million people, the agency has dispatched eight transport flights with more than 100 tonnes of emergency humanitarian supplies to DRC, with support from the European Union.
The emergency cargo includes personal protective equipment for frontline health workers, medicines, hygiene materials and medical supplies to confront the virus in affected communities.
‘Schools can stay open’
Although Ebola can be lethal, it transmits very differently from COVID and commonly via body fluids, so children who can go to school should continue to do so, the UNICEF official stressed.
“There’s no reason for a school to close. Infection prevention and control measures do have to be taken and there does have to be education within the school, amongst the teachers and the staff and amongst the children.”
Unlike for Ebola-Zaire strains of the disease, there are currently no approved Bundibugyo virus-specific therapeutics or vaccines. This highlights the need for greater support for surveillance efforts to contain transmission, said Dr le Polain. “We’re now at just over 70 per cent in terms of the contacts that are being appropriately traced. That’s a huge improvement from where we were about a week or two ago, but it’s still too low to ensure appropriate control.”
Improving local testing capacity is another key factor in overcoming the health threat as the full scale of the outbreak is “not yet clear”, the WHO official explained. He noted that in Beni a testing laboratory processed 500 tests on Thursday alone. “That will really help get clarity about the scale of the outbreak in Beni as well,” he added.
For its part, UNICEF has also deployed more than 1,600 community health workers and mobilisers, and 24 decontamination teams, already reaching more than 160,000 households.
“We can spare children the worst of this outbreak. Fast detection, strong paediatric care, monitoring of contacts and communities that are informed and engaged can help bring this outbreak under control,” said Dr Noble. “What we now need are the resources, humanitarian access and the trusted communities to succeed.”
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June 13, 2026
UN News
By Daniel Johnson
The deadly Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is continuing to spread with a spike in child infections an increasingly likely scenario in the days ahead, UN agencies said on Friday.
“Every day, cases are being identified in new health zones. And that reflects really the scale of this outbreak, a scale that is much bigger than what is being detected and the high mobility of the population in this part of the DRC,” said Dr Olivier le Polain, who heads up epidemiology and analytics at the World Health Organization (WHO).
In the approximately three weeks since the fast-moving outbreak was confirmed, the DRC health authorities have reported 676 cases and 136 deaths from the rare and deadly Bundibugyo species of Ebola virus.
Infections have been identified in a zone spanning from Aru in the north of Ituri province to Miti Murhesa in South Kivu, some 1,000 kilometres. “And we have 34 health zones affected as of yesterday, so, those health zones [with Ebola] continue to expand, with new areas in North Kivu which also reported [cases] yesterday,” Dr le Polain told journalists in Geneva, via videolink from Beni.
Those leading the response stressed that many youngsters in the region are malnourished and unvaccinated against preventable illness. T
his means that they are extremely vulnerable to disease in the resource-rich region where a humanitarian crisis is already playing out, caused by decades of fighting between government forces and armed militia.
UN News
By Daniel Johnson
The deadly Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is continuing to spread with a spike in child infections an increasingly likely scenario in the days ahead, UN agencies said on Friday.
“Every day, cases are being identified in new health zones. And that reflects really the scale of this outbreak, a scale that is much bigger than what is being detected and the high mobility of the population in this part of the DRC,” said Dr Olivier le Polain, who heads up epidemiology and analytics at the World Health Organization (WHO).
In the approximately three weeks since the fast-moving outbreak was confirmed, the DRC health authorities have reported 676 cases and 136 deaths from the rare and deadly Bundibugyo species of Ebola virus.
Infections have been identified in a zone spanning from Aru in the north of Ituri province to Miti Murhesa in South Kivu, some 1,000 kilometres. “And we have 34 health zones affected as of yesterday, so, those health zones [with Ebola] continue to expand, with new areas in North Kivu which also reported [cases] yesterday,” Dr le Polain told journalists in Geneva, via videolink from Beni.
Those leading the response stressed that many youngsters in the region are malnourished and unvaccinated against preventable illness. T
his means that they are extremely vulnerable to disease in the resource-rich region where a humanitarian crisis is already playing out, caused by decades of fighting between government forces and armed militia.
Households the new target
To date, most infections have been among adults going about their daily lives, “but as the outbreak evolves, we must be prepared for increasing household transmission which means we may see more children affected in the days ahead”, warned Dr Douglas Noble, UNICEF Global Lead for Public Health Emergencies and Global Incident Manager for Ebola.
“These are already very vulnerable children, so the capacity for this community to absorb any additional stressors was already stretched to breaking point,” he said, noting that more than half of children under five in Ituri province are “chronically malnourished”.
Zero dose
More than one in five are also “zero dose” children, meaning that they have never had their first dose of diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine.
Estimating the number of children who may be affected is problematic because sufficient surveillance tracking data is not yet available.
Nonetheless, past Ebola outbreaks in DRC have shown that children “made up a significant share of cases and an even greater share of deaths, with the youngest facing the highest fatality rates and many left orphaned or separated from caregivers”, Dr Noble explained.
As part of its six-month response to help 3.7 million people, the agency has dispatched eight transport flights with more than 100 tonnes of emergency humanitarian supplies to DRC, with support from the European Union.
The emergency cargo includes personal protective equipment for frontline health workers, medicines, hygiene materials and medical supplies to confront the virus in affected communities.
‘Schools can stay open’
Although Ebola can be lethal, it transmits very differently from COVID and commonly via body fluids, so children who can go to school should continue to do so, the UNICEF official stressed.
“There’s no reason for a school to close. Infection prevention and control measures do have to be taken and there does have to be education within the school, amongst the teachers and the staff and amongst the children.”
Unlike for Ebola-Zaire strains of the disease, there are currently no approved Bundibugyo virus-specific therapeutics or vaccines. This highlights the need for greater support for surveillance efforts to contain transmission, said Dr le Polain. “We’re now at just over 70 per cent in terms of the contacts that are being appropriately traced. That’s a huge improvement from where we were about a week or two ago, but it’s still too low to ensure appropriate control.”
Improving local testing capacity is another key factor in overcoming the health threat as the full scale of the outbreak is “not yet clear”, the WHO official explained. He noted that in Beni a testing laboratory processed 500 tests on Thursday alone. “That will really help get clarity about the scale of the outbreak in Beni as well,” he added.
For its part, UNICEF has also deployed more than 1,600 community health workers and mobilisers, and 24 decontamination teams, already reaching more than 160,000 households.
“We can spare children the worst of this outbreak. Fast detection, strong paediatric care, monitoring of contacts and communities that are informed and engaged can help bring this outbreak under control,” said Dr Noble. “What we now need are the resources, humanitarian access and the trusted communities to succeed.”
Authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo have launched an online campaign to tackle growing mistrust surrounding a deadly Ebola outbreak. The World Health Organization (WHO) says misinformation is hampering efforts to contain the haemorrhagic fever, which broke out in the eastern province of Ituri on 15 May.
Issued on: 12/06/2026 - RFI
Red Cross workers carry the body of a person who died of Ebola into a coffin at a health centre in Rwampara, Ituri Province, DR Congo, Wednesday, 20 May 2026. © AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa
The WHO has declared an international health emergency over the outbreak. Africa CDC said on 12 June that Congo's 17th Ebola outbreak remains far from under control and continues to spread.
The outbreak has now caused 676 confirmed infections and 136 confirmed deaths, up from 635 cases and 114 deaths reported earlier.
The epicentre is in Ituri province, where poor roads and insecurity linked to armed groups have made access difficult.
At the start of the outbreak, only three health zones were affected. Africa CDC says that figure has now risen to 27, and has doubled in the past week alone.
Neighbouring Uganda has also recorded 19 cases, including two deaths, in nearly a month, with almost all involving Congolese nationals who crossed the border.
The WHO has declared an international health emergency over the outbreak. Africa CDC said on 12 June that Congo's 17th Ebola outbreak remains far from under control and continues to spread.
The outbreak has now caused 676 confirmed infections and 136 confirmed deaths, up from 635 cases and 114 deaths reported earlier.
The epicentre is in Ituri province, where poor roads and insecurity linked to armed groups have made access difficult.
At the start of the outbreak, only three health zones were affected. Africa CDC says that figure has now risen to 27, and has doubled in the past week alone.
Neighbouring Uganda has also recorded 19 cases, including two deaths, in nearly a month, with almost all involving Congolese nationals who crossed the border.
Surge in misinformation
A wave of misinformation has spread online and in village squares, with some people blaming witchcraft for sudden deaths while others believe Ebola is a hoax designed to attract foreign aid.
Ebola, which spreads through close contact and bodily fluids, has killed more than 15,000 people in Africa over the past 50 years. There is no approved vaccine or specific treatment for the Bundibugyo strain behind the current outbreak.
Experts say misinformation accompanied earlier Ebola outbreaks but has grown in recent years with the rise of social media.
The NGO ActionAid estimates that in Ituri province, nearly one in three people does not believe Ebola is real.
The main challenge remains identifying and monitoring people who may have been exposed to the virus. Africa CDC estimates that more than 20,000 contacts may need monitoring, but only 4,955 have been identified so far.
Treatment is being delayed because many patients seek care only at a very late stage, said Saani Yakubu, ActionAid's country director.
The misinformation also makes it harder to trace contacts because families withhold information and health workers fear visiting homes.
To tackle the problem, the government has launched a social media campaign to debunk myths about transmission and encourage people to stay away from dead bodies despite traditional burial rituals.
The Congolese Health Ministry has announced a rapid-test centre through the RadiOne platform in Mongwalu, one of the health zones affected by the Bundibugyo strain, to quickly isolate infected people and prevent further transmission.
Trust crisis
False claims range from denying the disease exists to accusing authorities of inventing it for financial gain, epidemiologist Hemes Nkwa told AFP.
The problem goes beyond a lack of information and reflects a deeper crisis of trust, she said.
"In the DRC, several Ebola outbreaks have taken place in settings shaped by insecurity, political tensions, poverty, and sometimes longstanding distrust of institutions," Nkwa said.
Rumours often fill a gap, helping people make sense of fear or regain a sense of control over the narrative, she said.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has warned that "misinformation is almost as dangerous as the virus itself, and spreads just as fast".
Community response
The solution is to rebuild trust by working closely with communities, Yakubu said, including training ambassadors who can "share the information in their local languages".
Nkwa said community leaders, survivors and traditional healers, who have "strong social credibility", can also help.
"When they become allies, their influence can significantly boost the public health response," she said.
The WHO says the public health risk is very high in the Democratic Republic of Congo, high at the regional level and low globally.
Among the most recent deaths were two babies from an orphanage in Bunia, in Ituri province.
Buswaza was one of the youngest confirmed victims of the outbreak, dying at just two weeks old in May after losing her mother to Ebola.
The WHO said Ebola has been detected in amniotic fluid and the placenta, making them a likely source of transmission during Buswaza's birth.
Six other babies were identified as suspected Ebola cases at the orphanage, which cares for 69 children.
Another baby, an orphan nicknamed Cherie, was less than one year old when she died on 10 June.
Children account for nearly one fifth of confirmed Ebola cases since the outbreak began on 15 May, according to preliminary Unicef data.
The WHO says children make up a smaller share of cases than other age groups, but the current Bundibugyo strain, which is rare, has been less studied and is less understood in terms of its impact on children.
The WHO and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Protection launched a €445 million plan on Friday to fight the outbreak over the next six months.
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