The Ebola outbreak in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is robbing children of their loved ones, with some succumbing to the deadly disease themselves, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reported on Tuesday. The update comes as neighbouring Kenya confirmed its first case and death from the disease, believed to have come from the DRC.

“Ebola takes the people children depend on and unravels their lives,” said Halimatou Amadou, UNICEF spokesperson in the DRC, speaking to journalists in Geneva. “The parents fall ill, a child may be exposed, the parent is taken for treatment or dies. At the very moment a child most needs someone, fear and stigma can keep relatives and neighbours away.”

More than 1,900 boys and girls have either lost one or both parents, or their caregivers, since the outbreak was declared in May, or have been separated from them. Most of these children, 1,581, are in North Kivu province, the epicentre of the crisis. A further 322 are in neighbouring North Kivu province.

“And these are the children we know about because these figures cover only the area where UNICEF works with social affairs teams in the affected provinces,” she said.

Ms Amadou put names behind the numbers, such as Lina, a seven-month-old girl whom she met at a UNICEF-supported nursery next to an Ebola treatment centre in Bunia, the Ituri capital, according to a UNICEF statement on Tuesday. The girl’s mother died, and her father is missing. Her grandfather, who lives nearby, has visited twice, and they hope to be together soon.  

Another child, Raphael, just eight months old, survived Ebola but lost eight family members. He stayed at the nursery for more than three weeks until his older brother could take him home.

“Children are not only losing their parents. They’re also losing their own lives,” Ms Amadou said.

As of 29 September, at least 2,017 children had been confirmed with Ebola in DRC. At least 1,062 have died.  

She noted that children make up just over one in four confirmed cases, but around one in three deaths. However, the situation is worse among under-fives, where the death rate is seven in 10, up from six in 10 just a few weeks ago.

“Many die before the virus is ever detected, before they ever reach treatment,” she said.

While in Bunia, Ms Amadou “also saw what works” for young lives upended by Ebola.

UNICEF supports 12 nurseries in Ituri and North Kivu that care for babies and young children who have been exposed to the virus, or whose parents are in treatment, or who are on their own.

“Children are fed, they are held, they’re cared for, they are also watched closely so that if symptoms appear, they get paediatric care fast,” she said.

UNICEF is calling for nurseries at every Ebola treatment centre in the DRC, while underscoring the need to maintain essential health services. That way, children receive early detection and quick referral to Ebola care, as well as protection from common childhood diseases.  

Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation is monitoring the situation in Kenya, which on Tuesday confirmed its first case and fatality.