UNICEF: More than 1,900 children in the DRC are orphaned or separated from their families due to Ebola

GENEVA, October 6 – RIA Novosti. Nearly 2,000 children in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo have been orphaned or lost families amid the country's Ebola epidemic, with one in three deaths from the virus a child, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said.

“According to UNICEF, since the Ebola outbreak was declared in May, more than 1,900 children in eastern DRC have lost or been separated from one or both parents or guardians,” the organization said in a press release.

It is noted that the real numbers are likely higher.

“When a parent falls ill, the child is at risk of infection. Then the parent is hospitalized or dies, and the child is left without a person to depend on, while fear of infection and stigma make relatives and neighbors afraid to come to help,” said UNICEF Emergency Operations Director Lucia Elmi.

According to UNICEF, as of September 29, there were at least 2,076 confirmed cases of Ebola in children, with at least 1,162 children dying. Children account for more than a quarter of all confirmed cases, but about a third of all deaths.

"Even before this outbreak, children in eastern DRC were living in one of the world's most protracted humanitarian crises. The virus is spreading in provinces where some 4.4 million internally displaced people live and where conflict, displacement and mistrust make early detection of the disease difficult," the UN said.