The UN says Ebola in DR Congo is now affecting newborns. In an update published this week, the UN health agency reported 36 new confirmed cases of Ebola, including seven in newborn babies and infants younger than 2 years old. Six cases were reported in children aged between 2 and 17 and one case was in a pregnant woman.
While Ebola typically infects adults, as they are most likely to be exposed to the lethal virus, children have been known in some instances to catch the disease when they act as caregivers. Few cases of Ebola in babies have been reported, but experts suspect transmission might happen via breast milk or close contact with infected parents.
The WHO has noted that health centres have been identified as a source of Ebola transmission, with injections of medications a notable cause. The WHO has described DRC’s current Ebola epidemic as complex and challenging. DRC’s health ministry says there are 346 confirmed cases, including 175 deaths, in what has become the worst Ebola outbreak in the country’s recorded history.
