By Tiamiyu Prudence Arobani
The deadly Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has taken a disproportionate toll on women and girls, UN Women has said.
UN said many of the women and girls were on the frontlines caring for patients as well as their own families in spite of the high risk of infection.
”Official data shows that more than 54 per cent of confirmed Ebola patients in the DRC are women.
”Girls make up 51 per cent of those in the 10 to 17 age group.
”This is evident in the city of Bunia, epicentre of the crisis,” said Dr Setcheme Mongbo, UN Women Representative in the DRC, speaking on Friday following a recent visit to the city.
“Women are not only present in health facilities as attendants, but also in communities and homes where they care for the sick, provide them with food and water, and even participate in washing corpses as well as funeral activities,” she said, speaking from Kinshasa to journalists in Geneva.
According to Mongbo, the division of care and responsibilities at home largely reflects the Ebola transmission chain.
That situation, she said, is what puts women and girls at the greatest risk.
Mongbo said the effects also spread to children, since when women get sick, dependent children are directly affected.
“Women and girls are the ones who take care of their children and siblings without protective equipment”.
She also explained that they often continued to provide care even when someone is seriously ill.
Mongbo said there was also the possibility of community deaths that might not be included in the official Ebola statistics.
“I heard stories of women who fell ill and died in their homes after some of them made statements calling for help but got no response.
”Four women died at home in a single day with no official record. And we are not able to verify whether they had subsequently captured those figures.”
She cited latest data which show that two-thirds of the deaths reported in a 24-hour period occurred in communities, rather than medical facilities.
This situation, she said, increases the risk of cases and deaths not being handled properly as well as being absent from official outbreak response statistics.
