Editorial Team
... Read More
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookie Policy.
Written By: Editorial Team | Published : October 1, 2014 10:40 AM IST
The Ebola outbreak in West Africa is not limited to the increasing number of deaths. The consequences are much deeper and worrisome. The outbreak has increased the number of orphans in the affected countries, who are deeply affected by the death of their parents and are mentally broken-down due to the feeling of rejection. About 3,700 children in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone have lost one or both parents to Ebola since the start of the outbreak in West Africa, according to preliminary estimates by the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), which was released here Monday. The worst part is that many of these orphan children are being rejected by their surviving relatives due to fear of getting infected with the disease.
Not only these children need attention and support to get over their loss but they need to be assured that they are not untouchables, unwanted or abandoned.
'Thousands of children are living through the deaths of their mother, father or family members from Ebola,' said Manuel Fontaine, UNICEF's regional director for West and Central Africa, who just returned from a two-week visit to Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, the three countries hardest hit by the Ebola crisis in West Africa, where more than 3,000 people have been killed since the outbreak early this year.
'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,' Xinhua quoted Fontaine as saying. As the death toll from Ebola continues to rise, preliminary reports from Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone suggest that the number of children orphaned by Ebola has spiked in the past few weeks and is likely to double by mid-October, UNICEF said.
Ebola is also exacting a heavy emotional toll on children, especially when they or their parents have to be isolated for treatment. As it accelerates its Ebola response, UNICEF is looking at traditional and new ways to help provide children with the physical and emotional healing they need. In Liberia, UNICEF is helping the government train 400 additional mental health and social workers. UNICEF is also working with local authorities in the most affected counties to help strengthen family and community support to children affected by Ebola and provide care to those who have been rejected by their communities or whose families have died.
Over the next six months more than 2,500 Ebola survivors -- now immune to the disease -- will be trained in Sierra Leone to provide care and support to quarantined children in treatment centers. UNICEF is also working with partners to reunite separated children with their families through an extensive family tracing network across the country which also provides children with psychosocial support. In Guinea, UNICEF and partners will provide about 60,000 vulnerable children and families in Ebola-affected communities with psychosocial support.
UNICEF appealed for $200 million to provide emergency assistance to children and families affected by the Ebola outbreak across the region, including protection activities. So far, UNICEF has only received 25 percent of this amount.
Here s are some interesting facts about the Ebola virus that make it so deadly
It can kill within seven days: Unlike other viruses (like HIV) that can remain dormant in a person for years without causing the disease, Ebola violently multiplies until the viral particles are amplified to about 100 million viral particles in a droplet of blood. Further, without resting in a dormant stage the virus kills the host to find a new one. The fatality rate of the disease is 60 percent.
There is no vaccine or treatment available: What makes this virus deadly is the fact that researchers have not been able to find an effective treatment or preventive technique to combat the virus and the spread of the disease. The experimental drug Zmapp has shown promising results but the safety and efficacy of the drug are to be evaluated. So, as of now, neither do we have an effective form of therapy nor do we have a vaccine to prevent the disease.
Attacks every part of the human body: Ebola only needs a host cell that can help it produce multiple copies of itself. What worsens the condition is the fact that the virus does not need a specific type of cell to multiply (unlike other deadly diseases). According to studies, except for skeletal muscles and bones, the virus is known to infect every part of the human body. Connective tissues, the ones that hold your internal organs in place, are primary targets of the virus. Read more about 10 reasons that make the Ebola virus deadly for humans
With inputs from IANS
Photo source: Getty images
You may also like to read:
For more articles on diseases & conditions , visit our diseases & conditions section. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for all the latest updates! For daily free health tips, sign up for our newsletter. And for health-related queries, visit our Questions and Answers section.
