UN: Many DRC children orphaned due to Ebola – NHK WORLD

The UN Children’s Fund says nearly 4,000 children in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have been orphaned or left unaccompanied as a result of the Ebola epidemic.

UNICEF says more than 1,300 children have lost one or both parents to the disease since the start of the outbreak just over a year ago.

The agency adds that over 2,400 children have been separated from their parents or caregivers. It says they have been either left alone while adults undergo screening and treatment, or isolated because they have been in contact with someone infected.

UNICEF says many of the children need food assistance and face discrimination because of suspicion that they are infected.

The agency runs three nurseries next to Ebola treatment centers in the epidemic’s hotspots. Children are cared for at the facilities until their parents or caregivers complete treatment. UNICEF has also fostered professionals who provide assistance for children.

The agency warns that the number of orphaned or unaccompanied children is growing as fast as the outbreak itself. It is calling on the international community to boost support for the country’s government.

The Ebola outbreak has been expanding in the provinces of North Kivu and Ituri in the country’s east since August of last year. More than 1,800 people have died.

Last month, the World Health Organization declared the Ebola outbreak a “public health emergency of international concern.”