More than 300 children have died from Ebola since start of DRC outbreak

More than 300 children have died from Ebola since the outbreak began in the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to figures cited Friday by United Nations deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq.

Children account for nearly a quarter of confirmed cases, but almost a third of all deaths, he said, citing figures from the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF.

The outbreak continues to spread rapidly across eastern DRC. Total cases have now surpassed 4,000, with 1,850 deaths reported.

The outbreak is also severely disrupting access to essential healthcare. In the hardest-hit areas, use of health services has dropped by more than 40 percent in recent months, as fear of infection keeps people away.

The situation is also affecting pregnant women. According to the UN Population Fund, maternal deaths in Ituri have nearly doubled since the outbreak began, with about six women dying each week from childbirth-related complications. Ebola infection during pregnancy remains associated with almost universal fetal loss.

Meanwhile, the WHO Technical Advisory Group on Vaccine Research has recommended a clinical trial in the DRC to evaluate the Ervebo vaccine against the Bundibugyo virus. Ervebo is the only licensed vaccine against Ebola. The WHO is working with partners to begin the trial as soon as possible.

During a visit earlier this week to Ituri province, the epicentre of the outbreak, the WHO called for an urgent scale-up of the community-led response, including stronger early detection and contact follow up, as well as better access to care. 

To counter fear and misinformation, 13,000 community workers have been deployed by the Ministry of Public Health, WHO, Africa Centres for Disease Control, UNICEF and partners. They have reached more than 2.4 million people with information on Ebola prevention and early detection and carried out more than 500,000 household visits