(Geneva) – The United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, has announced that at least 3,700 children in West Africa have seen one or both parents die because of the Ebola epidemic, with many now facing rejection by surviving relatives out of fear of infection.
UNICEF Regional Director for West and Central Africa, Manuel Fontaine, said, “Orphans are usually taken in by a member of the extended family, but, in some communities, the fear surrounding Ebola is becoming stronger than family ties.” UNICEF said the number of children orphaned by Ebola has spiked in recent weeks and is projected to double by mid-October.
(Courtesy WAM)
