HEARTBREAKING

Congo’s Ebola Outbreak Creating Crisis of Orphans: UNICEF

The number of children who lost a parent or were separated from a parent has doubled since April, UNICEF reports.

The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has spawned a new crisis: a rising number of orphans. UNICEF reports that 1,380 children have been orphaned by the disease—and left emotionally scarred. “Children are watching parents die in front of them or seeing loved ones taken to Ebola treatment centers, uncertain of when or if they will return,” Pierre Ferry, UNICEF’s head of child protection. “They are struggling with grief and anxiety, while having to comfort and care for younger siblings. Many face discrimination, stigmatization and isolation.” In addition to those who have lost a parent, nearly 2,500 other children have been left alone or isolated during the outbreak. The group says the number of kids left alone or orphaned has doubled since April. In June, the DRC’s health minister put the death toll from the outbreak at more than 1,500, with the number of people reported infected topping 2,200.