Some pregnant women in eastern Congo are avoiding hospitals over fears of a rapidly growing Ebola outbreak, and more of them are dying around childbirthMore pregnant women are dying in Congo as they avoid hospitals over EbolaBy JUSTIN KABUMBA Associated Press and CHINEDU ASADU Associated PressEsther Lutula, a 26 year-old woman who is four months pregnant and a mother of four who stopped going for prenatal checkups shortly after the current Ebola outbreak, does the laundry outside her house in Bunia, northeastern, Congo, Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)BUNIA, Congo -- Esther Lutula stopped going for prenatal checkups shortly after the current Ebola outbreak was declared in eastern Congo. The outbreak has strained Congo’s already overstretched healthcare system, complicating access for the pregnant women who still come for prenatal care or birth. Associated Press journalists covering the outbreak have seen pregnant health workers among the responders. Pregnant women with Ebola are at an increased risk of problems including miscarriage, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said in its clinical guidance.