On Life Support: A battered health system leaves DRC children at the mercy of killer diseases

Like the rest of the world, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is dealing with a new enemy. The arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic comes as the country is close to ending one of the world’s largest outbreaks of the Ebola virus disease. Out of more than nine million children in need of humanitarian assistance, some 3.3 million have unmet health needs. Many live in areas where the occurrence of violence is high.

This report outlines the health and protection risks for children during the COVID-19 outbreak in the DRC.