Ebola caseload in DR Congo tops 4,000 amid critical outbreak

A very bad sickness called Ebola is spreading in a country called the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

More than 4,000 people have gotten sick, and many of them have died.

Doctors are very worried because the sickness is spreading faster than ever before.

Doctors Without Borders says the outbreak is more critical than ever and is not slowing down.

Many children have gotten sick, and sadly many of them have died too.

Young children under five years old are more than twice as likely to die as adults.

Because people are afraid of catching Ebola, many families are staying away from hospitals and health clinics.

That means children are missing their vaccines, and mothers are missing the health care they need.

UNICEF says this also makes other sicknesses like malaria and diarrhoea more dangerous for children.