Press Release

Fast facts: Ebola outbreak toll on children six months into the outbreak and response – UNICEF

NEW YORK (November 13, 2026) – Six months into the Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), significant progress has been made in expanding and strengthening the response. But with transmission continuing and the outbreak spreading to new areas, children continue to bear a heavy and growing toll.

In addition to the risk of infection, many have lost parents and caregivers, missed critical protection and healthcare, and had their schooling disrupted. All of this is happening in communities already living through conflict and displacement.

Impact on children:

  • As of 4 November, 2,959 children under 18 had been confirmed with Ebola, and 1,737 had died. Children account for 28 per cent of confirmed cases but 35 per cent of deaths.
  • The youngest are the most at risk. Children under five make up 14 per cent of cases but 21 per cent of deaths, and nearly 72 per cent of those infected have died.
  • Many children never reach the specialized care they need. Approximately 80 per cent of deaths among children occur outside Ebola Treatment Centres. Even when they do reach care, they often arrive too late. One in three children under five admitted to a treatment centre dies within 24 hours.
  • Women and girls make up more than 53 per cent of confirmed cases. Among 10-17-year-olds, girls aged 15-17 account for two in three cases and three in five deaths. Caring for sick relatives and preparing the dead for burial puts them at greater risk of infection.
  • Community protection mechanisms remain functional but stretched. More than 2,280 children have been orphaned or separated from their families since the start of the outbreak. Sixteen nurseries provide protection support, including identification, family tracing, follow-up, and referral services.
  • Access to services remains limited. Between January and September, facility births in Ebola-affected health zones of North Kivu fell by nearly 18 per cent compared with last year. In Tshopo, nearly 11 per cent fewer children received their third dose of the diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough vaccine, and first-dose measles vaccination fell in all three reporting provinces, by up to 7.6 per cent in South Kivu.
  • Almost 7,500 schools, attended by nearly 2.5 million children, have not yet been reached with infection prevention measures. Efforts have supported more than 355,000 children to access safe learning so far.
  • In a rapid assessment early in the outbreak in Ituri, 81 per cent of children said Ebola made them feel afraid and stressed, and 89 per cent of parents said their own stress had gone up. Since then, UNICEF and partners have reached nearly 21,000 children with individual mental health and psychosocial support.
  • Sixty-seven health zones across eight provinces have been affected, with active transmission in 51 health zones. This is the largest and deadliest Ebola outbreak ever recorded in the DRC, and the second-largest and second-deadliest globally.
  • The outbreak is unfolding in a highly challenging operational environment where insecurity, access constraints, and attacks on health facilities continue to hamper life-saving interventions.  In 2026, 14.9 million people in DRC need humanitarian aid, including 8 million children.

In support of government-led priorities, UNICEF and partners are expanding a targeted, integrated response in the highest-priority health zones, strengthening community engagement, surveillance, early detection and infection prevention, while ensuring children and communities continue to access essential health, nutrition, water, protection and education services. UNICEF calls on governments, donors, and partners to:

  • Provide high-quality paediatric clinical care within Ebola Treatment Centres.

     
  • Mobilize resources for nurseries, case management, family reunification, support for foster and extended families, as well as children's safe learning in schools.

     
  • Ensure the protection of healthcare workers and frontline responders.
     
  • Scale up and sustain support for both the Ebola response and the broader humanitarian response.
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About UNICEF
UNICEF, the United Nations agency for children, works to protect the rights of every child, everywhere, especially the most disadvantaged children and in the toughest places to reach. Across more than 190 countries and territories, we do whatever it takes to help children survive, thrive, and fulfil their potential.

 

ABOUT UNICEF USA 

UNICEF USA advances the global mission of UNICEF by rallying the American public to support the world’s most vulnerable children. Together, we are working toward a world that upholds the rights of all children and helps every child thrive. For more information, visit www.unicefusa.org. 

For more information please contact:
Nina Marie Costa, UNICEF USA, 973-519-5253, NMCosta@unicefusa.org