Global Ebola cases top 1,000 as UN races to reach DR Congo’s most vulnerable
Making up 15 per cent of confirmed cases and over 25 per cent of deaths since the outbreak in April, children are almost twice as likely to die as adults, according to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF).“Children are especially vulnerable because they depend on caregivers and cannot distance themselves from a sick parent or sibling in the same way that an adult can,” said UNICEF chief Catherine Russell.“To better protect children, we need sustained access, and the resources needed to reach every affected community.”Tackling instability and online disinformation
More than 130 children have already lost one or both parents in Ituri, the origin and epicentre of this current outbreak.“Our teams in Ituri have met children who have lost their mothers, and in some cases both parents, to Ebola,” Ms. Russell said.“Children are trying to make sense of the threat while surrounded by rumors and online misinformation.”While testing capacity has recently improved, surveillance and contact tracing remain constrained, including by insecurity and restricted access in a restive region scarred by clashes between the government forces and armed groups.New nursery serves Ebola orphansIturi province, particularly the Mongbwalu, Rwampara and Bunia health zones, remains the epicentre, with cases also reported in North Kivu and South Kivu.In Ituri, 135 children who have been orphaned by the outbreak are receiving support, including with psychosocial care, referral to essential social services and alternative care arrangements, said UNICEF, which also opened a nursery as a safe space for youngsters separated from their parents or caregivers and plans to operate two more soon.Calling for immediate, safe and sustained humanitarian access to affected communities, UNICEF is initially seeking $70.7 million for its six‑month response, with $20 million still unfunded, as part of the multi-partner Ebola preparedness and response continental plan to contain the spread of disease.WHO and ‘blue helmets’ build care unit at Bunia prison
