Ebola takes severe toll on women, children in eastern DRC

Women and children continue to bear a disproportionate share of the Ebola outbreak in the eastern province of Ituri in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), UN humanitarians said Friday.



The Ebola outbreak is unfolding in Ituri, where nearly 1 million people are displaced, about 80 percent of whom are women and children, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said.



According to the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), children represent almost one third of all deaths although they account for nearly a quarter of confirmed cases.



The outbreak is also severely disrupting essential health care. In the areas hardest hit by Ebola in Ituri province, the use of health services has dropped by more than 40 percent in recent months, as fear of infection keeps people away, UNICEF said.



The UN Population Fund warned that fear of Ebola and overstretched health services are preventing many pregnant women from seeking care. Maternal deaths in Ituri have nearly doubled since the outbreak began, with an average of about six women dying each week from childbirth-related complications, while Ebola infection during pregnancy remains associated with almost universal fetal loss.