Ebola has once again placed childhood at the center of the health emergency in the Democratic Republic of Congo, following the deaths of two babies housed in a Catholic orphanage in Bunia, the capital of Ituri.

According to Reuters, newborn Buswaza arrived at the facility after her mother's death, developed a fever, and died a few days later, with laboratory confirmation of the disease. Another baby, triplet Cherie, also died after testing positive, raising alarm among caregivers, families, and medical teams.

The Ministry of Health reported 635 confirmed cases and 127 deaths in Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu on June 10th. The World Health Organization attributes the outbreak to the Bundibugyo strain, for which there is no approved vaccine or specific treatment. Transmission is spreading in a region marked by war, displacement, and fragile medical services, making isolation, contact tracing, and family protection difficult.

The lack of a readily available vaccine for this variant leaves teams dependent on rapid diagnosis, supportive care, clear information, and safe transport to prepared centers in hard-to-reach areas.

For Central Africa, the case increases pressure on borders, humanitarian aid, and community trust in health teams, especially when the disease strikes children already exposed to hunger, loss of relatives, and armed violence.

The orphanage houses 69 children and has become a point of daily surveillance following Buswaza's death. Six babies were treated as suspected cases and transferred to the Evangelical Medical Center in Bunia. Five tested negative and left the isolation tent on Tuesday, while teams continued clinical evaluation of the remaining children.

Three caregivers of the deceased babies, including a nun, tested positive. The risk is high because Ebola is transmitted through bodily fluids such as blood, saliva, vomit, feces, and breast milk. The WHO also reports detection of the virus in amniotic fluid and placenta and maintains clinical concern regarding pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding.

Children account for about 17% of confirmed cases in this outbreak, according to preliminary data cited by UNICEF. The agency fears that malnutrition, low vaccination coverage, and pre-existing illnesses will reduce their chances of survival. In Ituri, a 2023 survey found an overall chronic malnutrition rate of 52,1% among children under five.

The armed conflict limits ambulance access, forces families to flee villages, and reduces the delivery of food, drinking water, and basic medicines to local treatment centers. Many children from the orphanage have already survived the violence in eastern Congo and depend on caregivers who are now also falling ill.

Douglas Noble, UNICEF's head of health emergencies, stated that children in vulnerable situations can deteriorate more quickly when infected. The response includes isolation, safe burials, and daily checks at the orphanage—measures necessary to break chains of contagion without abandoning children under their care.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies indicated that there were baby-sized body bags in the area, a stark sign of the health emergency in an outbreak under resource pressure, community fear, and persistent insecurity.

The deaths of the two babies show that the Ebola outbreak in the DRC has already gone beyond the confines of epidemiological reports. The crisis involves overwhelmed hospitals, infected caregivers, orphaned children, and communities living with war, poverty, and distrust of medical teams. The latest information places Ituri at the center of the transmission, with spread to new health zones.

At the regional level, the risk is not limited to Congo. Cross-border mobility requires enhanced surveillance, contact tracing, and community involvement. For African governments and humanitarian partners, the immediate priority is to protect children, keep laboratories operational, and ensure safe burials without breaking the trust of the populations.