People build an Ebola treatment center in North Kivu Province in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Wednesday. XINHUA
Children have been disproportionately affected by the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, international humanitarian organizations warned, calling for more international support for the protection and improved mental health services for children in affected areas.
Some 476 children have been confirmed with Ebola infection, with at least 189 children having died in the Ebola outbreak in eastern DR Congo, leaving thousands more grappling with trauma, grief and fear, according to Save the Children.
More than 4,000 children in Ituri Province, the epicenter of the outbreak, are receiving mental health and psychosocial support through child-friendly spaces established by the organization to help them cope with the emotional toll of losing loved ones, displacement and the constant threat of infection.
The outbreak, declared in May, has so far infected more than 2,500 people across Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uele and Tshopo provinces, according to the latest figures from the country's National Institute of Public Health. Of those infected, 1,033 have died, resulting in a mortality rate of about 40 percent.
