DR Congo: Young children paying the highest price one month since DRC declared new Ebola crisis – Save the Children

Democratic Republic of the Congo Source: Save the Children BUNIA, DRC, 15 June 2026 – At least 52 children, including 16 toddlers and infants, have contracted Ebola in the month since the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) declared its latest outbreak, with 19 of these children confirmed to have died. The outbreak declared on 15 May has rapidly become the third largest ever recorded in the DRC, with some 782 confirmed cases and 181 confirmed deaths , according to latest figures from the Ministry of Health, and children are among the most vulnerable, said Save the Children. While young children represent a smaller portion of cases than other age groups, figures from the Africa Centre for Disease Control (CDC) show that young children are suffering a far higher case fatality rate. Children aged 14 or under are more than twice as likely to die after contracting the illness than patients aged 15 to 44, according to a Save the Children analysis of the figures [1]. Young children often deteriorate rapidly when infected and require early identification, referral, and intensive supportive care to improve their chances of survival. These risks are further compounded by the conditions many children already face in humanitarian settings, including malnutrition, malaria, anaemia, poverty, displacement, interrupted vaccination and healthcare services, and limited access to essential treatment and nutrition support. Children are not only at risk of infection, but a multitude of knock-on effects, including family separation, psychological distress, being cut off from routine healthcare and protection services, dropping out of school, child labour and early marriage, said Save the Children. Basic, lifesaving supplies -like protective equipment, disinfectant, safe isolation spaces and essential medicines - are concerningly scarce in some areas. At the same time fear and misinformation risk accelerating transmission by discouraging families from seeking care, cooperating with contact