Ebola takes severe toll on women and children in eastern DRC: UN
The United Nations reports that women and children are disproportionately affected by the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The crisis is exacerbated by displacement and a significant decline in the use of essential maternal healthcare services.
Why it matters
It draws attention to a critical humanitarian crisis and the secondary health impacts of disease outbreaks on vulnerable populations.
Women and children continue to bear the brunt of the Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where the epidemic is deepening a humanitarian crisis in the conflict-hit province of Ituri, the United Nations says.
The outbreak is unfolding in a region where nearly a million people have been displaced, with women and children making up about 80% of the displaced population, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha).
The UN Children’s Fund (Unicef) said children accounted for nearly one-third of Ebola-related deaths, despite representing about a quarter of confirmed cases.
The outbreak was also severely disrupting access to essential healthcare. In the areas hardest hit by Ebola, the use of health services had fallen by more than 40% in recent months as fear of infection discouraged people from seeking treatment, UNICEF said.
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