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STORY: UNFPA / DRC EBOLA RESPONSE
TRT: 04:08
SOURCE: UNFPA
RESTRICTIONS: CREDIT UNFPA ON SCREEN
LANGUAGES: FRENCH / NATS
DATELINE: 11 JUNE 2026, CITY OF BUNIA, ITURI PROVINCE, DRC / FILE
11 JUNE 2026, CITY OF BUNIA, ITURI PROVINCE, DRC
1. Wide shot, medical staff in protective suits entering medical tents
2. Wide shot, medical staff in protective suits entering medical tents
3. Various shots, UNFPA medical kits being loaded into a truck and transferred
4. SOUNDBITE (French) Pacifique Kigongwe, UNFPA Humanitarian Coordinator:
“We stand here today before a concrete symbol of international solidarity. Behind me is humanitarian cargo, freshly arrived here in Bangui, in our warehouses, from Bunia International Airport. As we face the heavy burden of the Ebola epidemic here in Ituri, our collective attention turns toward containing the virus. History and experience have taught us a painful lesson during major epidemics: the breakdown of health structures can cause more deaths than the virus itself. When health structures are overwhelmed and fear keeps the population away from healthcare, women, girls, and children pay a heavy price.”
5. Various shots, UNFPA medical kits being loaded into a truck and transferred
6. SOUNDBITE (French) Pacifique Kigongwe, UNFPA Humanitarian Coordinator:
“Let me be very clear. Let me be very clear: even in the midst of an Ebola epidemic, women do not stop giving birth. Women do not stop giving life. That is why the medical supplies contained in this kit are so crucial. This is not just a medical kit; rather, it is a true lifeline.”
UNFPA – FILE – SEPTEMBER 2025, BENI, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
7. Med shot, nurse examining a pregnant woman
8. Wide shot, nurses examining a pregnant woman
9. Close up, newborn baby
10. Various shots, nurses taking care of newborn babies
11. Various shots, medical staff examening pregnant women
The rapidly escalating Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has registered 837 confirmed cases and 196 deaths as of 15 June 2026.
Women face a high risk of contracting the virus due to their predominant roles as primary household caregivers and frontline medical workers, including midwives and nurses.
Past epidemics demonstrate that the strain on healthcare infrastructure often triggers a secondary crisis of preventable maternal deaths as routine medical services are disrupted. In Ituri Province, seven maternal deaths were recorded during the week of 25 May 2026, compared to two deaths during the same period in 2025.
Misinformation and stigma associated with Ebola cause pregnant women to avoid seeking care at health facilities, which can lead to life-threatening childbirth complications at home.
UNFPA's emergency response spans 29 health zones in the DRC. UNFPA has appealed for US $17 million to scale up sexual and reproductive health services and gender-based violence prevention and response as part of the Ebola response.
To mitigate the risks for the 37,800 pregnant women in affected areas, UNFPA is sharing information with communities; improving infection prevention in maternity wards in hospitals in eastern DRC; and has deployed 153 midwives to carry out safe deliveries.
