Children in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are twice as likely to die from the Ebola virus as adults, because many are already severely malnourished and battling other infections, aid agencies have warned.
Save the Children has analysed data emerging from the new outbreak, in which there have so far been about 808 confirmed cases and 192 confirmed deaths, the World Health Organization reports. Save the Children said that, although cases in children were currently lower than in other age groups, existing data suggested that the infection was more likely to be fatal. Aged 14 or under, they were more than twice as likely to die after contracting the illness than the 15-to-44s, Save the Children said.
At least 52 children, including 16 toddlers and infants, have contracted the virus. Nineteen of them have died.
The outbreak has spread to Uganda, with 19 confirmed cases and two deaths. The current outbreak, the 17th in the DRC, is already the third largest on record.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) warned that the #Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo #DRC could become the worst on record if not urgently contained. Over 800 cases of the rare Bundibugyo strain, including 192 deaths, have been… pic.twitter.com/EH0tHuPwL7
— TV One Uganda (@Tv1uganda) June 17, 2026
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