Maternal deaths in Ituri province have doubled in the three months since a new Ebola outbreak was declared in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the UN's reproductive health agency, reports that 63,700 pregnant women remain at risk in the affected areas as the virus spreads across six provinces.
The current epidemic, caused by the Bundibugyo strain, has resulted in more than 2,600 deaths out of approximately 5,500 recorded cases. Health officials report that women now make up more than half of confirmed cases. While the outbreak initially affected more men in mining areas, the demographic has shifted as women serve as primary caregivers and frontline health workers. At least 160 health workers have been infected, resulting in 43 deaths.
Medical response efforts have been complicated by civil unrest and safety protocols. According to aid sources, some health facilities have restricted blood transfusions due to Ebola protocols, which may contribute to maternal mortality in a country where one-fifth of pregnant women suffer from anaemia. In July, the death of an anaemic woman who did not receive a transfusion led a mob to attack a hospital in Ituri, resulting in the escape of 10 Ebola patients.
Efforts to contain the virus face significant financial and social obstacles. Humanitarian organizations report that international aid cuts have reduced their capacity by more than 30 percent, and existing funding is expected to last only a few weeks. Furthermore, mistrust and misinformation have led to 260 attacks on healthcare workers over the last six months. Fear of contracting the virus has caused a one-third decline in antenatal care visits and a 50 percent drop in the management of obstetric complications at health facilities.
Beyond the immediate health risks, the outbreak is creating a secondary social crisis. Roughly two children have been orphaned every day since the outbreak began, totaling at least 180 children who have lost one or both parents. The burden falls heavily on female health workers, who represent 80% of nurses and 96% of midwives globally. In the DRC, these workers face a dual threat: a high risk of infection from bodily fluids during delivery and the physical danger of community violence, with eight health workers killed in the past six months due to unrest tied to the epidemic.
The situation is expected to worsen as humanitarian groups warn that current funding will only cover operations for the next few weeks. If promised international allocations are not distributed, the capacity to provide personal protective equipment and obstetric care will further diminish. The UN indicates the outbreak is on a trajectory to potentially surpass the 2014-2016 West Africa crisis, which killed 11,000 people. With no current cure or treatment for this specific strain, the focus remains on containment and the distribution of emergency reproductive health resources in the coming months.