Ebola's toll on DRC children UNICEF seeks nursery support

Oct 6

Speaking from Bunia, UNICEF's Halimatou Amadou says more than 1,900 children have lost parents or caregivers or been separated from them since the Ebola outbreak declared in May, with counts limited to UNICEF's operating areas. She recounts infants' loss, survival and family-reunification experiences, and describes more than 2,000 confirmed child cases and more than 1,000 child deaths as of September 29. The exact death total is uncertain in this source: it is transcribed as 1,162 initially and 1,062 in the repetition after a connection interruption. She says seven in ten confirmed cases among children under five have died, up from six in ten weeks earlier. UNICEF supports 12 nurseries and calls for one at every treatment center, better pediatric care, social workers, family tracing, caregiver support and schooling; it has received just over a third of its $113.4 million response requirement. In the French Q&A she limits UNICEF's nursery role to care for test-negative separated children, distinguishes medical treatment inside Ebola centers, and explains family tracing and work with community and religious leaders to build trust and promote safe burials.

Speaking from Bunia, UNICEF's Halimatou Amadou says more than 1,900 children have lost parents or caregivers or been separated from them since the Ebola outbreak declared in May, with counts limited to UNICEF's operating areas. She recounts infants' loss, survival and family-reunification experiences, and describes more than 2,000 confirmed child cases and more than 1,000 child deaths as of September 29. The exact death total is uncertain in this source: it is transcribed as 1,162 initially and 1,062 in the repetition after a connection interruption. She says seven in ten confirmed cases among children under five have died, up from six in ten weeks earlier. UNICEF supports 12 nurseries and calls for one at every treatment center, better pediatric care, social workers, family tracing, caregiver support and schooling; it has received just over a third of its $113.4 million response requirement. In the French Q&A she limits UNICEF's nursery role to care for test-negative separated children, distinguishes medical treatment inside Ebola centers, and explains family tracing and work with community and religious leaders to build trust and promote safe burials.