The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is taking a heavy toll on children, with an average of about seven children dying from the disease every day since the virus was detected in May, Save the Children has said.
The charity said children accounted for a significant proportion of Ebola infections and deaths, with younger children particularly vulnerable to the disease.
According to figures from Congo’s Ministry of Health cited by the organisation, 623 of the children who have died from Ebola were under the age of five, accounting for about two-thirds of child fatalities.
Since May 15, at least 2,071 children under the age of 18 have contracted the virus, with 961 of them dying. This represents a case fatality rate of almost 46 per cent among infected children.
The fatality rate is even higher among children aged between zero and four, standing at 61 per cent, compared with an overall case fatality rate of 48 per cent for the outbreak.
Save the Children called for stronger measures to protect young children as the outbreak continues to spread across eastern DRC.
The latest figures released by the Health Ministry on Thursday showed that 4,018 people have died from 8,300 recorded Ebola cases since the outbreak was declared in eastern Congo on May 15.
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