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The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) reports that an increasing number of children in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, orphaned by the Ebola epidemic in the region, may be stigmatized and abandoned.
UNICEF reports that a number of children have died of the disease. Others, he says, have lost one or both parents to the Ebola virus or have had to fend for themselves while their parents are confined to Ebola treatment centers.
UNICEF spokesman Christophe Boulierac said his organization and other humanitarian organizations have so far identified 155 children orphaned or separated from their parents with no one to care for them. He says these children are extremely vulnerable.
"Children who lose a parent because of Ebola risk being stigmatized, isolated or abandoned, in addition to experiencing the loss of a loved one or a loved one. primary caregiver.
Boulierac says UNICEF is concerned about the physical, emotional and psychological well-being of these orphaned and separated children. He says his agency tailors its support programs to the specific needs of each child.
"For example, a newborn who has lost his mother has different needs from a child of school age. Our support for an orphan or unaccompanied child generally includes psychosocial care, food and material support, and support for school reintegration, "said Mr. Boulierac.
The Ebola virus was declared on 1 August in the provinces of North Kivu and Ituri in the DRC. This is the 10th epidemic in the DRC since the identification of the Ebola virus in 1976. The latest estimates from the World Health Organization reveal 147 confirmed and probable cases of Ebola in the east of the country, including 97 deaths. .
WHO reports that progress is being made to limit the spread of the deadly virus in some areas. But, he warns, the epidemic is far from over and a lot of work to fight the disease is coming.
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