UN Women: Women, girls face highest Ebola infection risk due to caregiving roles

Women and girls are likely to face the highest risk of Ebola infection during the current outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda because of their caregiving and frontline community roles, UN Women warned on Friday. "History has repeatedly shown us that women are more likely than men to die during an Ebola outbreak," Sofia Calltorp, UN Women's chief of humanitarian action, told reporters in Geneva.

Higher infection rates

She said the higher death rates are not because Ebola is more deadly for women once infected, but because women are more likely to contract the virus in the first place. Calltorp cited previous outbreaks, including the 2018-2019 Ebola outbreak in the Congo, where women and girls accounted for around two-thirds of reported cases. During Liberia's 2014 outbreak, women represented up to three-quarters of Ebola deaths in some communities.

Social realities

"Ebola transmission follows social realities," Calltorp stressed, explaining that women are often caregivers for sick relatives, frontline health workers, and those preparing bodies for burial, placing 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 quarantines can increase gender-based violence.

Call for action

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