Baby born to Ebola-positive mother dies in eastern Congo hospital

Health workers transported the body of a baby who died from Ebola at a hospital in the eastern Congolese town of Mongwalu on Sunday, after the child was born to a mother infected with the virus and became contaminated.

The death comes as the Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo continues to worsen. The World Health Organization says the epidemic has been linked to more than 900 suspected cases, at least 101 confirmed cases and around 220 suspected deaths in Congo and Uganda. The outbreak, centred in Ituri province where Mongwalu is located, involves the rare Bundibugyo strain for which there is currently no approved vaccine.

At the hospital in Mongwalu, health workers disinfected the treatment area before placing the baby’s body into a body bag and sealing the coffin before carrying it out of the building. The operation took place as authorities struggle to contain the spread of the virus in communities already shaken by attacks on Ebola treatment facilities, the burning of isolation tents and the escape of suspected patients into the community.

Health experts warn that women and children remain particularly vulnerable in areas where treatment capacity is limited and many suspected cases continue to emerge outside formal health structures. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned this week that the outbreak was now “outpacing response efforts” after circulating undetected for weeks before being officially identified.

-Production: Benoit Nyemba, Gradel Muyisa, Ngouda Dione/Reuters