Ebola in Equateur province
This is the Democratic Republic of the Congo's 11th outbreak of Ebola since the virus was first discovered in the country in 1976.
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For 23 months, northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) faced the second worst Ebola epidemic in history, infecting 3,470 people, 28% of whom were children. The Government of the DRC announced the end of this epidemic on 25 June 2020, while the Equateur Province is facing a new epidemic.
The Government of the DR #Congo has confirmed the death of five people – including one 15-year-old girl - due to #Ebola in Mbandaka, Equateur Province.
— UNICEF en RDC (@UNICEFDRC) June 1, 2020
UNICEF is on the ground to help contain this new Ebola outbreak and limit its impact on children.https://t.co/MuvZA48zmN
As we have seen in previous epidemics, Ebola affects children in a number of ways beyond the immediate risk of infection and death. Whether children are infected themselves, or see parents or other family members infected, they require specialized care and support, both physically and psychologically. We must do our utmost to minimize the impact of the epidemic on children’s wellbeing.
What is UNICEF's role?
Our mission is to protect children from the consequences of the Ebola virus.
We inform communities about the disease, how to protect themselves and how to contain the spread of the epidemic.
UNICEF and its partners support the Government in the response to Ebola.
We make water, hygiene and sanitation available in communities, schools and health centers.
We provide psychosocial support to help families, including children, affected by the disease
We provide nutritional care for infected people and children whose parents are in quarantine.
We put prevention measures in place in schools to create a protective environment.
Our experience tackling the outbreak in eastern DRC has shown us that strategic partnerships with community, religious leaders, journalists, radio stations, and civil society organizations, as well as generous funding, are instrumental to containing disease outbreak.
These valuable lessons are helping us in our current effort to tackle the new Ebola outbreak in Equateur Province, while also responding to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
UNICEF estimates that US$6.98 million is required for its activities to respond to Ebola in Equateur. UNICEF has advanced US$2 million from its own resources to meet critical needs until additional funding is secured.
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To request more information, please contact:
Jean-Jacques Simon, Chief of Communication, +243826541004, jsimon@unicef.org
Sylvie Sona, Communication Specialist, +243817096215, nssona@unicef.org
Chiara Frisone, Communication Specialist, +243813556717, cfrisone@unicef.org