Fear of Ebola is preventing women and children from accessing essential healthcare in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, leading to a rise in maternal deaths and a decline in childhood immunisation rates.
Health workers and aid agencies say misconceptions about the virus have made some pregnant women avoid prenatal check-ups and choose to give birth at home, increasing the risk of death when complications arise.
Figures from Ituri province indicate the scale of the problem, with maternal deaths rising by nearly 70 per cent between May and July compared with the same period in 2025, according to United Nations data.
The increase comes as the country battles its worst Ebola outbreak on record, while significant cuts in international aid have contributed to shortages of essential medicines.
At the Masiki healthcare centre in Butembo, eastern Congo, nurses told Reuters that deliveries at the maternity ward had dropped sharply since the outbreak was declared in May.
During a recent visit, only one mother was seen resting with her newborn among several empty beds.
Head nurse Liliane Adronga said some patients believed the medicines administered at health facilities could expose them to the virus.
“They think the medicines we give them contain the Ebola virus,” she said.
Adronga also recounted cases of women delaying treatment until their conditions deteriorated.
In one instance, a woman was believed to have lost her baby after suffering from untreated malaria.
The United Nations Population Fund reported that hospital deliveries fell by more than 30 per cent between May and July, while treatment for obstetric complications declined by 50 per cent during the same period.
Children miss routine vaccinations
The Ebola outbreak has spread across seven provinces, infecting more than 8,000 people and killing over 4,000.
Although infections have slowed in some areas, officials say the outbreak remains far from contained.
The crisis is also disrupting routine healthcare for children, with aid agencies reporting a sharp decline in vaccinations and paediatric visits during the first three months of the outbreak.
In August, the United Nations Children’s Fund warned that routine childhood vaccinations had fallen by more than half in Ebola-affected areas of Ituri between April and June.
In Mongbwalu, first-dose measles vaccinations dropped by 69 per cent.
UNICEF public health emergencies expert Raoul Kamadjeu said the consequences of the outbreak extended beyond direct infections.
“We should be concerned not only about the direct impact of Ebola, but also its indirect effects on health, nutrition, child protection and insecurity,” he said.
“The longer an epidemic persists, the greater the risks.”
The decline in immunisation is particularly worrying for a country already struggling with recurring measles outbreaks.
Congo recorded 126,000 measles cases in 2026, according to the country’s health ministry.
UNICEF also reported that healthcare facilities across Ituri administered 23,000 fewer routine vaccine doses in May and June than in April.
Misinformation fuels healthcare fears
For some parents, the fear of being sent to an Ebola treatment centre has outweighed concerns about leaving their children unvaccinated.
Masika Furaha, a mother of three in Butembo, said her family initially avoided health facilities because of the risk they believed was associated with Ebola treatment centres.
“We didn’t want to bring our children to health facilities for fear of being referred to an Ebola treatment center. Because once you end up there, you can die,” she said.
However, she eventually had her youngest child vaccinated after observing that children who received the injections remained healthy.
Paediatrician Dr Mupenzi Mumbere, who works in Butembo, said misinformation had intensified parents’ fears, sometimes with tragic consequences.
He recalled an incident in which a mother broke down in tears after he referred her son to the main hospital for an X-ray because she feared medical staff would take the child away and kill him with Ebola.
According to Mumbere, many parents initially resort to self-medication or consult traditional healers before seeking hospital treatment, often arriving when their conditions have become critical.
“That’s when I realised how great the misunderstanding was,” he said.
“In the worst cases, children arrive in such poor condition that there is little left to do but watch them die.”
