Ebola : communicating to save lives

Following the announcement by the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo on May 8 of a new Ebola outbreak in Equateur Province, UNICEF has mobilised its teams to help contain the spread of the disease.

UNICEF is mobilizing hundreds of community workers to raise awareness among children and families of how to protect themselves against the disease.

Schools are crucial for engaging children and their communities in the fight against Ebola. UNICEF is putting in place measures to minimize the risk of transmission in schools, including temperature taking and handwashing.

30 Young Reporters in the affected areas have been trained and are now themselves informing their peers on the importance of good hygiene as a way to avoid the spreading the disease.

UNICEF worked closely with local communities in informing people about the vaccination and about the people that are targeted in the vaccination.

Since the start of the Ebola outbreak, more than 300,000 people have been reached with lifesaving information about how to avoid contracting the deadly virus. To date, UNICEF has shipped over 80 tonnes of supplies, including soap, tarpaulins, generators, purification tablets, buckets and chlorine to support water, sanitation and hygiene activities.