DRC: Ebola has killed 961 children since May 15, warns Save the Children

Save the Children indicated on October 1, 2026, that the Ebola epidemic declared on May 15, 2026, in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo had infected 2,071 people under the age of 18 and killed 961 children, an average of nearly seven child deaths per day, according to figures reported by Africanews.

Children under five pay the heaviest price

Of these 961 deaths, 623 involve children under the age of five. In this age group, the case fatality rate reaches 61%, compared to 48% for all patients, according to the NGO, which emphasizes that the disease affects "nearly one in two contaminated children." Save the Children has also identified 180 children who have lost both parents since the start of the epidemic.

The curve accelerated in September. The number of confirmed cases rose from 6,604 on September 5, 2026, to 8,116 on September 27, and the number of deaths from 3,175 to 3,924 over the same period. Al Jazeera reported on October 2, 2026, a death toll of 4,018 for approximately 8,300 confirmed cases spread across seven provinces, and more than 2,000 recoveries.

The deadliest in the country's history

This is the seventeenth Ebola epidemic in the DRC and the deadliest the country has ever known, surpassing the 2018-2020 outbreak. It is caused by the Bundibugyo strain, for which no vaccine or approved treatment currently exists, with several candidates still in trials. The World Health Organization warns that this outbreak is on track to surpass the 2014-2016 West Africa epidemic, which claimed more than 11,000 lives.

One indicator captures the essence of the response's difficulties: 81.5% of deaths recorded in the three weeks preceding September 27 occurred within communities, rather than in healthcare facilities, according to Save the Children. In other words, patients are dying without having received care. The epicenter is located in Ituri, around Bunia, and in North Kivu, around Butembo, two provinces marked by insecurity and close to the borders of South Sudan, Uganda, and Rwanda.

Distrust of health authorities further complicates the teams' work: the burning of a transit center forced 19,000 people to flee, according to Al Jazeera. Save the Children, which has been present in the DRC since 1994 and works with thirteen Congolese organizations, is calling for strengthened local care. It is on this front—community trust and the resources entrusted to local actors—that the end of the epidemic will be decided.