UNICEF: Children must be central to Congo Ebola outbreak response

Published on 05-06-2018 at 09:00

On 22 May 2018, children wash their hands to help contain the Ebola outbreak before entering a classroom in the north-western city of Mbandaka, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. UNICEF has installed hand-washing points in 50 targeted schools in affected areas in the port city. Following the announcement by the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) on 8 May 2018 of a new Ebola outbreak in Equateur Province, UNICEF has mobilised its teams to help contain the spread of the disease. The outbreak was declared in the Bikoro Health Zone, located more than 100 kilometers south of the provincial capital of Mbandaka. A UNICEF team with two doctors, a specialist in water, sanitation and hygiene as well as a specialist in community communication left today from Mbandaka to assess the extent of the epidemic and begin implementing the response, alongside the Government and the World Health Organization (WHO). This is the ninth Ebola outbreak in the country since 1976. UNICEF supports the Government in its coordination of the response both from the country’s capital Kinshasa as well as in the affected area. UNICEF has been active in the Equateur Province for many years. Based on its experience in previous Ebola epidemics, UNICEF is focusing its response on communication activities in the communities to protect people from the disease and on water supply, hygiene and sanitation to prevent the spread of the disease. UNICEF has already sent a total of 45 kg of chlorine, five sprays, 50kg of soap and 28,000 water purification tablets to the area, as well as 600 posters and 6,000 leaflets to educate affected communities.

UNICEF is warning that children are still at high risk of contracting Ebola in the latest outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DCR). The charity says it is essential that their health and well-being are prioritised by the agencies responding.

Prevention efforts are being stepped up in schools across all three affected health zones. This includes on-going efforts to install hand washing units in 277 schools and supporting awareness raising activities reaching more than 13,000 children in Mbandaka, Bikoro and Iboko.

Risk

Dr Gianfranco Rotiglano, UNICEF Representative in the DRC, said: “Schools are crucial for engaging children and their communities in the fight against Ebola. That’s why UNICEF is putting in place measures to minimize the risk of transmission in schools, including temperature taking and handwashing.”

The charity also says it is concerned about the wellbeing of children with family members who have contracted the disease. “Children whose parents or caregivers die of Ebola or who live in isolation because they had contact with an infected person, need psychosocial support to help them cope,” added Dr. Rotigliano.

Assistance

Previous Ebola outbreaks have demonstrated the need for social workers to identify and assist vulnerable children. Twenty-two psychosocial agents trained by UNICEF and its partners are providing assistance to families that are affected by the Ebola outbreak, while UNICEF is also supporting 23 families and their children who have relatives infected with Ebola by supplying household kits and food rations.

This is the ninth Ebola outbreak in the country since 1976. UNICEF is supporting the DCR’s Government in its coordination of the response both from the country’s capital Kinshasa as well as in the affected area. UNICEF has so far sent supplies including 45 kg of chlorine, five sprays, 50kg of soap and 28,000 water purification tablets to the area, as well as 600 posters and 6,000 leaflets to educate affected communities.