Congo-Kinshasa: Children Left Behind in Ebola Outbreak Response

What the report says

Médecins Sans Frontières says children are bearing a heavy share of the Ebola outbreak in northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, especially in North Kivu. In the material republished by AllAfrica, MSF cites its epidemiological centre, Epicentre, saying nearly one in four confirmed Ebola cases in North Kivu is a child. The organization says young children face a higher risk of dying from Ebola and are particularly vulnerable in the current outbreak, which involves the Bundibugyo strain.

MSF says the problem is not only infection but also access to care. The group describes limited specialized capacity at primary health facilities, weak infection prevention measures, and gaps in protective equipment and training as factors that can delay diagnosis and raise the risk of transmission in health settings. It also says many pediatric patients admitted to its Ebola treatment center in Butembo had previously been treated for other illnesses before Ebola was recognized.

The organization argues that children need more child-specific support in treatment centers, including emotional care and better communication with parents. It says it has trained caregivers to assist hospitalized children in full protective gear. MSF also calls for children to be included earlier in Ebola research, vaccine work, and access to new therapies, warning that pediatric patients are often left out of studies and campaigns until late in the response.

More broadly, MSF says the outbreak response should protect routine childhood health services, including immunization, nutrition, and primary care, because disruptions could increase preventable illness and deaths beyond Ebola itself.