Women and Girls Bear Disproportionate Burden in DRC Ebola Outbreak

UN Women Representative Dr. Setcheme Mongbo highlighted that women dominate Ebola care in Bunia, from health‑facility duties to home‑based feeding, water provision and even corpse washing. Official data show that more than 54 % of confirmed cases are women, and girls account for 51 % of patients aged 10‑17. Because many provide this care without protective equipment, they face heightened infection risk, and when they fall ill, their dependent children lose their primary caregivers. Community reports also suggest that a large share of deaths—about two‑thirds in a recent 24‑hour window—occur outside treatment centres, further obscuring the true toll on women.

The outbreak compounds pre‑existing barriers to reproductive and maternal health services, leaving women with fewer options for essential care. Travel restrictions and border closures have also slashed daily earnings for women traders by roughly $20‑30, pushing families toward food insecurity. Many of these traders constitute a significant portion of the local market economy, so reduced income ripples through households and heightens vulnerability to infection. Decades of conflict, insecurity and poor road infrastructure already limited access to health facilities, and the Ebola crisis is deepening those gaps.

Women‑led organisations are central to community trust, yet a UN Women study found that 86 % of surveyed groups received no funding for the Ebola response, and nine out of ten were excluded from decision‑making processes. This lack of resources hampers their ability to disseminate prevention messages, support survivors and address gender‑based violence. Dr. Mongbo noted that UN Women is preparing a comprehensive gender response strategy, aiming to integrate women’s capacities into the broader outbreak effort. Closing the funding and participation gap is presented as essential to controlling the epidemic.