Women and girls are likely to face the highest risk of Ebola infection during the current epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda because of their roles in women’s care and on the front lines of the community, UN Women warned Friday, Anadolu reports.

“History has consistently shown us that women are more likely than men to die during an Ebola epidemic,” Sofia Calltorp, head of the humanitarian action of UN Women.

She said the higher death rates are not because Ebola is more deadly for women after they become infected, but because women are more likely to be infected with the virus early on.

Calltorp cited previous epidemics, including the Ebola epidemic in Congo in 2018-2019, where women and girls accounted for about two-thirds of reported cases. During the 2014 Liberian outbreak, women accounted for up to three-quarters of Ebola deaths in some communities, she added.

“We are likely to see the same pattern emerge in the current epidemic in the DRC and Uganda, which comes as the DRC is already facing a severe humanitarian crisis and enormous pressure on health services,” she said.

“Ebola transmission follows social realities,” Calltorp stressed, adding explained that women often care for sick relatives, frontline health workers and those who prepare bodies for burial, putting them in close physical contact with infected people.

She also warned that pregnant women face additional risks due to increased contact with health services and said that quarantines during health emergencies can often increase gender-based violence against women and girls.

UN Women called for sustained funding for women-led organizations, stronger primary health care support, and greater involvement of women in decision-making and prevention efforts for the Ebola response.

Source: prizrenpost