Ebola Panic Drives Collapse of Maternal and Child Health Services in Eastern Congo

BUTEMBO, DR Congo: Health workers and aid agencies report that fear of Ebola is deterring women and children from seeking essential health care in eastern Congo, leading to a sharp rise in maternal deaths and a steep decline in routine childhood immunizations. The misplaced anxiety is causing many pregnant women to avoid prenatal clinics and opt for home births, increasing the risk of fatal complications.

UN data show maternal deaths in Ituri province jumped by nearly 70% between May and July compared with the previous year, a grim indicator of how the current Ebola outbreak—now Congo’s deadliest on record—is straining primary health care. Additional pressures include steep cuts in international aid, resulting in shortages of life‑saving medicines.

At the Masiki health center in Butembo, nurses reported a dramatic drop in deliveries since the Ebola outbreak was declared in May. “They think the medicines we give them contain the Ebola virus,” said head nurse Liliane Adronga, highlighting widespread unfounded suspicions. She described cases where women delayed care until conditions became hopeless, such as a recent malaria infection that led to a stillbirth.

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) recorded a more than 30% decline in hospital deliveries and a 50% drop in treatment for obstetric complications during the May‑July period. Meanwhile, routine childhood vaccinations have plummeted. UNICEF warned that routine immunizations fell by over half in Ebola hotspots in Ituri between April and June, with measles first‑dose coverage dropping 69% in Mongbwalu.

Raoul Kamadjeu, a UNICEF public‑health emergencies expert, stressed that the indirect effects on health, nutrition, child protection and security are as concerning as the virus itself. “The longer an epidemic persists, the greater the risks.”

Even before the Ebola crisis, Congo has battled recurring measles outbreaks, with over 126,000 cases reported in 2026. UNICEF says health facilities administered 23,000 fewer routine vaccine doses in May and June than in April across the province.

Misinformation and superstition are compounding the problem. Mothers such as Masika Furaha feared being sent to Ebola treatment centers and only after seeing healthy vaccinated children did she allow her youngest to be immunized. Dr. Mupenzi Mumbere, a pediatrician in Butembo, recounted a mother’s distress when a referral for an X‑ray was mistaken for a death sentence. Many families resort to self‑medication or traditional healers first, often with tragic outcomes.

“That’s when I realized how great the misunderstanding was,” Mumbere said. “In the worst cases, children arrive in such poor condition that there is little left to do but watch them die.”

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