Education
Ebola: 2,000 DRC children orphaned, Kenya confirms first case, fatality – EnviroNews
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UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has said more than 1,900 children have lost or been separated from one or both parents or caregivers to Ebola across eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) since the outbreak was declared in May 2026.
UNICEF, in a statement on Tuesday, October 6, said that Ebola had been robbing children of their loved ones, with some succumbing to the deadly disease themselves.
The update comes as regional neighbour Kenya confirmed its first case and death from the disease, believed to have come from DRC.
The UN agency stated that, of these children, 1,581 had been identified in Ituri and another 322 in North Kivu as of 28 September, noting that the actual figures are likely higher, as they reflect only locations where UNICEF collaborates with the Provincial Division of Social Affairs (DIVAS).
“For children, Ebola can set off a rapid chain of harm,” UNICEF Director of Emergency Operations Lucia Elmi, said, following a visit to the epicentre of the outbreak in Bunia.
“Once a parent falls ill, a child could become exposed. That parent is then hospitalised or dies, and the child is left without the person they depend on, while fear of infection and stigma leaves relatives and neighbours afraid to step in.”
An additional 214 children living and working on the streets in Bunia have been identified as needing protection.
Without a caregiver, these children are at risk of infection, less likely to be reached by contact tracing, or brought to care if they fall ill, and they face heightened risks of exploitation and violence.
Children are also disproportionately affected by the outbreak. As of September 29, at least 2,076 children had been confirmed with Ebola, and at least 1,162 had died, according to UNICEF analysis of Ministry of Health data where age was recorded.
Children make up over one in four confirmed cases but roughly one in three deaths.
The youngest face the gravest danger, as seven in ten children under five with confirmed Ebola have died – up from six in ten just weeks ago. Many of these children are dying before they can reach treatment.
“In Bunia, I met Lina*, a seven-month-old baby who survived Ebola after losing her mother to the disease,” Elmi said.
“Her story is a powerful reminder that treating a child for Ebola is not enough. Nurseries must be a standard part of every Ebola Treatment Centre – they protect children, and they give parents the confidence to seek treatment, knowing their little ones are safe and within reach.”
At the national level, more than 8,224 cases and 3,982 deaths in total have been confirmed across seven provinces as of Sept. 29. Ituri remains the province with the highest number of cases, while cases persist in North Kivu.
Even before this outbreak, children in eastern DRC were living through one of the world’s most protracted humanitarian crises.
The virus is spreading through provinces that host around 4.4 million internally displaced people, where conflict, displacement, and mistrust make early detection harder.
UNICEF supports 12 nurseries near Ebola Treatment Centres in Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu.
These nurseries provide safe, child-friendly care for young children who have been exposed to Ebola, are unaccompanied, or whose caregivers are receiving treatment.
They also enable close monitoring for symptoms and rapid referral to paediatric care within a treatment centre.
To date, in collaboration with DIVAS, UNICEF has provided case management, including family tracing, reunification, and alternative care arrangements, to children affected by the outbreak.
UNICEF-supported services have reached 90,600 people through psychoeducation sessions, while over 15,900 family members have received psychosocial support at home.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation (WHO) is monitoring the situation in Kenya, which on Tuesday confirmed its first case and fatality, according to media reports.
Spokesman Christian Lindmeier said the case was “likely imported from DR Congo,” but more information was not available.
He said colleagues on the ground are working with the Kenyan authorities to get more details.
The Kenyan government is strengthening its response coordination and case investigation, while monitoring and listing contacts for enhanced disease surveillance. At the core of the response efforts are screening at high-risk points of entry, and clear risk communication, while engaging communities to help prevent infection. These measures are rapidly being deployed to ensure the identification of cases and help contain further transmission.
The patient, a Kenyan citizen, fell ill in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where they had been living, and was treated at several health facilities there. The patient then travelled by road to Kampala, Uganda through Beni on October 2, 2026, and flew to Nairobi, arriving on October 3, 2026.
On arrival, the patient was transported to a hospital in Nairobi and was quickly isolated. Samples tested positive for Bundibugyo virus at both the National Virology Reference Laboratory and the Kenya Medical Research Institute. Despite supportive care, the patient died on the night of October 5, 2026, and was buried on October 6, 2026, in line with the country’s Ebola safe and dignified burial protocol.
The Government of Kenya notified WHO of the case in line with the International Health Regulations (2005) on 6 October 2026. Kenya is the fourth country to confirm BVD.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is responding to an ongoing BVD outbreak, while Uganda, where the Bundibugyo virus species was first detected in 2007, ended the latest outbreak in August 2026. Most cases in Uganda were imported from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the remaining few were locally acquired among contacts and health workers linked to imported cases. France reported a travel-related case of BVD in June 2026.
Health authorities in Kenya have so far listed 28 contacts, including family members and health workers who cared for the patient. They are also tracing 23 passengers and four crew members from the same flight, with arrangements for appropriate follow-up and quarantine of people assessed to at risk underway.
“Health emergency preparedness gives us a head start. Kenya has put important outbreak control measures in place. The priority now is to move swiftly to detect any further cases before the virus has an opportunity to spread. We’re supporting the ongoing efforts to strengthen the response, and with rapid and coordinated action, we can prevent the virus from gaining a foothold and stop a potential larger outbreak,” said Dr Mohamed Janabi, WHO Regional Director for Africa.
Kenya has been on high alert since May 2026, when outbreaks were declared in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda. As of October 6, 2026, Kenya has screened over 652,000 travellers entering the country, tested 267 suspected samples and trained around 5000 health workers on Ebola prevention and management.
WHO and partners have supported Kenya’s Ministry of Health and National Public Health Institute in these efforts. This includes Ebola simulation exercises and training a national pool of rapid response trainers, among them responders who served during the 2014–2016 West Africa outbreak. Isolation units across 27 high-risk counties in Kenya have been identified and assessed, case managers trained, and Ebola surveillance tools have been updated so that suspected cases can be quickly identified, reported and investigated. Risk communication and community engagement activities have also been strengthened through public messaging, media and community engagement, call centre support, and monitoring and responding to rumours and misinformation.
WHO has also delivered about 1,000 Ebola tests and 1,000 personal protective equipment kits to high-risk counties in Kenya.
Kenya’s Ebola preparedness score, which tracks progress on key readiness measures such as surveillance, laboratory testing, isolation and treatment facilities and trained response teams, rose from 66% in May to 82% in July 2026.
WHO advises against any restriction of travel to, or trade with, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda or Kenya based on the currently available information. WHO continues to closely monitor and, where necessary, verify travel and trade measures in relation to this event.
WHO and Africa CDC call for continued support to the response in affected countries. Global solidarity, along with government-led responses with engaged communities, are the best route to ending the outbreak.
By Cecilia Ologunagba
