Children under age 16 made up nearly 60 percent of Ebola cases reported in the first two weeks of October in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, according to STAT.
The World Health Organization confirmed 43 Ebola cases in early October, 20 of which occurred in children. Of those cases, nine occurred in kids under age 5.
"It is unusual for this outbreak and it is unusual in previous outbreaks … to see this proportion of kids," Peter Salama, MD, deputy director of emergency preparedness and response, told STAT. "[It's] a very high number."
Epidemiologists working in the city of Beni, the current hot spot for the Ebola outbreak, have a theory for the spike in pediatric cases, according to Dr. Salama. Many of the children infected with Ebola recently saw a medical practitioner or traditional healer in Beni, as it is peak malaria season in the area. Epidemiologists said the children might have contracted Ebola at these health centers if the facilities previously treated an undiagnosed Ebola patient.
"It’s a working theory at the moment, and we’re trying to get to the bottom of it over the next couple of days," Dr. Salama told STAT.
Overall, there are 223 confirmed and probable Ebola cases in the current outbreak, 144 of which have been fatal.
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