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Thousands more children have lost one parent or caregiver, exposing them to heightened risks of abuse, exploitation, trafficking and severe psychological distress as families and already fragile social services struggle to cope [1].
In what has become DRC’s deadliest ever outbreak, children are bearing some of most devastating and lasting consequences, including the loss of parents and caregivers and increased risks of abuse, exploitation and psychological distress.
Latest figures from the Provincial Division of Social Affairs in Ituri, the epicentre of the outbreak, show that 180 children - 90 boys and 90 girls - have lost both parents to the virus that was declared on 15 May. Most are now being cared for by relatives or in state-run childcare facilities while longer-term family-based arrangements are found.
A further 114 children, including 61 boys and 53 girls, are currently separated from their parents, and are being supported by humanitarian organisations and family members, while their parents receive treatment for Ebola.
Children who are orphaned, separated or left unaccompanied by Ebola face heightened risks of human trafficking, sexual exploitation, physical violence, forced recruitment by armed groups and severe emotional distress. In communities affected by the virus, children can also face stigma and isolation, while strained protection systems leave many without the care and support they urgently need.
According to latest data from the Ministry of Health, over 4,945 cases of Ebola and 2,325 deaths have been reported to date. At least 800 children are confirmed to have contracted the disease with more than 357 children dying, accounting for nearly 32% of total confirmed deaths (1124) as of August 5 –the last available age-disaggregated data from the Ministry of Health. The true number is likely to be higher, Save the Children said.
The outbreak has expanded rapidly over the past 100 days. According to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), it has recorded around nine times more confirmed cases and six times more deaths than were reported during the same period of the 2014-2016 West Africa Ebola epidemic, the deadliest Ebola outbreak on record.
With the outbreak still spreading – now in six provinces up from just two – Africa CDC estimates that only about 10% of potentially exposed contacts have been identified, while about four in five new infections being found outside known chains of transmission, highlighting the scale of undetected spread.
Three out of every four deaths are occurring in the community rather than in health facilities, suggesting people are not accessing treatment in time. An investigation reported by Science also suggests Ebola may have been spreading around Mongbwalu in Ituri province as early as January - at least four months before the outbreak was officially declared.
Save the Children is working with government and partners in Ituri province to establish safe spaces – called Observation Care Centres - for children whose parents or caregivers are currently being treated for Ebola and don’t have alternative family care arrangements. These spaces will host children on a full‑time basis while their parents receive care in the Ebola Treatment Centre located in the same compound. Throughout a 21‑day surveillance period, the children will sleep, eat, live, and be supported psychologically in a safe environment.
Emmanuel Kalinde, Child Protection Manager in Ituri, said:
"Behind every statistic is a child whose world has been turned upside down. Many of these children are mourning parents, grandparents, siblings and caregivers who were the centre of their lives. Grief can leave a child incredibly vulnerable, especially in communities already facing conflict and displacement. Our job is to help ensure that no child is left behind. With the right support they can begin to heal and regain a sense of hope."
Greg Ramm, Save the Children’s Country Director in the DRC, said:
"Ebola is stealing more than lives. It is taking away the people children run to when they are scared. Every child who loses a parent, caregiver or loved one faces a future filled with uncertainty, and many are at risk of being left without the protection and support they need.
“The children at the centre of this crisis need more than emergency medical care. They need safe care arrangements, protection, emotional support and the chance to continue learning and simply be children again. The longer this outbreak continues, the greater the risk that vulnerable children fall through the cracks and face exploitation, abuse, neglect or permanent disruption to their futures.
“Child protection cannot be treated as a secondary concern in an Ebola response. Every effort to stop transmission must be matched by efforts to protect the children left behind. Governments, donors and the international community must urgently invest in scaling up support for frontline health services, alternative care, mental health support, community-based child protection programmes, and the essential services families rely on.”
This outbreak is unfolding in communities already affected by armed conflict, mass displacement and chronic humanitarian needs. For many children, Ebola is the latest shock in a series of crises that have already disrupted their safety, education and wellbeing, placing additional strain on already fragile health, protection and social support system.
Save the Children is supporting infection prevention, community engagement, case detection and referral, and the continuity of essential services for children and families. The aid agency is also providing psychosocial support and child protection services, including support for children who have lost caregivers, while working to ensure children can continue learning and access healthcare, nutrition and protection services safely throughout the crisis.
In the DRC since 1994, Save the Children partners with 13 local organisations, as well as international agencies and government authorities, to deliver life-saving support in health, nutrition, education, child protection, food security, water, sanitation, and hygiene for children and their families.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Save the Children.
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