More than 1,900 children across eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo have been orphaned or separated from their families by Ebola since the outbreak was declared in May, UNICEF said in a press briefing in Geneva on 6 October. Halimatou Amadou, UNICEF DRC's chief of communication, said the figures cover only areas where the agency works with social affairs teams: 1,581 children in Ituri and 322 in North Kivu.

As of 29 September, at least 2,076 children had been confirmed with Ebola and at least 1,162 had died. Children account for just over one in four confirmed cases but around one in three deaths, and seven in ten children under five with confirmed infection have died. Many die before the virus is detected, Amadou said. The outbreak persists in Ituri and North Kivu, provinces already home to some 4.4 million displaced people.

UNICEF supports 12 nurseries next to Ebola treatment centres in Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu, caring for children who have been exposed to the virus or whose parents are in treatment. The agency is calling for a nursery at every treatment centre, quality paediatric care, more social workers and support for family tracing and schooling. It needs US$113.4 million for its Ebola response and has received just over a third.