Congo Schools Reopen Amid Fast-Growing Ebola Outbreak As Parents Fear For Their Children

Schools across the Democratic Republic of Congo have reopened despite a rapidly expanding Ebola outbreak that has now killed more than 3,000 people and infected more than 6,100. More than 1,000 schools in high-risk areas of Ituri have resumed in-person learning, prompting parents and teachers to adopt strict hygiene measures. The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain, for which there is currently no approved vaccine or specific treatment. UNICEF is helping schools strengthen infection prevention, while authorities face the difficult task of protecting children from Ebola without allowing the health crisis to cause further disruption to education.

Students in the Democratic Republic of Congo have returned to school as the country battles what health officials describe as its fastest-growing Ebola outbreak on record.
The reopening has brought a difficult choice for parents and authorities: keep children in school so they do not fall further behind academically, while trying to prevent classrooms from becoming places where the deadly virus can spread.
Schools in some of the worst-affected areas, including more than 1,000 institutions in the high-risk Ebola zones of Ituri province, have reopened for face-to-face lessons. Authorities had initially considered remote learning but reversed course after provincial officials raised concerns about the impact of prolonged school closures on children's education.
For parents and teachers, however, returning to school has brought renewed anxiety.

STRICT HYGIENE RULES IN SCHOOLS

School managers say they are introducing strict measures to reduce the possibility of transmission.
Gerlance Mahamba Mumbere, a school manager, said pupils have been instructed not to shake hands or eat together.
Hand-washing stations have been installed around classrooms, while teachers and pupils are being discouraged from unnecessary physical contact.
Schools are also restricting movement during breaks as part of efforts to limit close contact between children.
The measures may appear simple, but they are difficult to enforce in schools containing hundreds of pupils.
Some schools have 200, 300 or even 500 students, making close monitoring a major challenge.

PARENTS WARN CHILDREN TO BE CAREFUL

Parents are also taking precautions at home.
Noëlla Mite Apesilam said she warns her children every morning before they leave for school not to shake hands or kiss other children and to follow the health instructions given by authorities.
Her concerns reflect the anxiety facing families in communities where Ebola has already claimed thousands of lives.
For many parents, sending a child to school now means balancing the importance of education against the fear that their child could come into contact with the virus.
DEATH TOLL HAS PASSED 3,000
The scale of the outbreak has grown rapidly.
According to the latest Congolese government figures, the outbreak had caused 3,007 deaths among 6,186 confirmed cases by September 2. The fatality rate among confirmed cases was about 48.6%.
The outbreak is being driven by the Bundibugyo species of Ebola, a strain for which there is currently no approved vaccine or specific treatment.
The outbreak began in Ituri province and has since spread to six provinces, putting additional pressure on an already fragile healthcare system.
WHO has warned that transmission is continuing and that the response needs to be significantly expanded.

WHY SCHOOLS ARE A PARTICULAR CONCERN

Schools can present a difficult environment for controlling an infectious disease.
Children spend several hours together, share classrooms and playgrounds and may naturally come into close physical contact.
Ebola spreads through direct contact with the blood or bodily fluids of an infected person and through contaminated materials. Preventing transmission therefore requires early identification of suspected cases, isolation, contact tracing and strong infection-prevention practices.
UNICEF is supporting efforts to strengthen infection prevention in schools and communities, including providing hygiene and infection-prevention supplies.
But the organisation has warned that children are being affected not only by the virus itself but also by disruptions to healthcare, education, nutrition and child protection.

CHILDREN ARE ALREADY PAYING A HEAVY PRICE

The consequences of the outbreak extend far beyond children who become infected.
Earlier in the outbreak, UNICEF reported that more than 130 children in Ituri had been orphaned after losing their mothers, with some losing both parents.
The organisation has also reported a sharp decline in the use of essential healthcare services in Ebola hotspots, as fear of infection keeps families away from health facilities. Between April and June, use of essential services in some of the worst-affected areas fell by 42%.
This creates a second crisis for children.
Even those who never contract Ebola can suffer when schools close, parents die, healthcare services are disrupted or families become afraid to seek medical attention.

NO APPROVED TREATMENT FOR THE STRAIN

One of the biggest difficulties facing health authorities is the virus itself.
The current outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo species of Ebola. Unlike the Zaire strain responsible for previous major Ebola outbreaks, there is currently no licensed vaccine or specific treatment for Bundibugyo Ebola.
Clinical research into potential vaccines and treatments is under way, while authorities have also begun using Merck's Ervebo vaccine for frontline workers. However, that vaccine was developed and approved for the Zaire strain and is not an approved Bundibugyo vaccine.
As a result, much of the response depends on early detection, isolation, supportive medical care, contact tracing and preventing further transmission.

A RESPONSE STRUGGLING TO KEEP UP

The outbreak is growing faster than previous Ebola epidemics recorded in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
WHO's Africa office said the country was recording an average of about 90 confirmed cases per day during the first three months of the outbreak, a rate significantly higher than that seen during comparable periods of the 2014–2016 West Africa epidemic and the 2018–2020 Congo outbreak.
The response is also being complicated by insecurity, population displacement, weak infrastructure, movement across borders and mistrust in health authorities.
In some areas, health workers have faced difficult working conditions and attacks, while shortages of funding and access to remote communities have slowed efforts to identify and isolate cases.

THE EDUCATION DILEMMA

The decision to reopen schools demonstrates how public health emergencies can create difficult choices for governments.
Keeping schools closed could reduce opportunities for children to come into contact with one another, but prolonged closures can also cause serious educational and social consequences.
For children already living in communities affected by conflict and poverty, losing access to education can deepen existing disadvantages.
Authorities have therefore chosen to reopen schools while placing greater emphasis on hygiene, physical distancing and monitoring for possible infections.
They have also indicated that remote learning could be reconsidered if new cases emerge or the health situation deteriorates.

ITURI AT THE CENTRE OF THE CRISIS

Ituri province remains the epicentre of the outbreak.
The region has already endured years of armed conflict, displacement and poverty, leaving many communities with limited access to healthcare.
The combination of conflict and an infectious disease outbreak makes containment particularly difficult because people may move frequently to escape violence or search for food, work and safety.
The virus has now reached six provinces, increasing concerns about further spread.
WHO says community involvement is essential because health authorities cannot stop the outbreak without residents reporting suspected cases, cooperating with contact tracing and following safety measures.

A RACE TO PROTECT CHILDREN

For teachers, parents and health workers, the reopening of schools is now a race to keep children learning without exposing them unnecessarily to a deadly disease.
Every hand-washing station, every warning against unnecessary physical contact and every suspected case identified early could help prevent another chain of infections.
But the numbers show how difficult that task has become.
With more than 3,000 deaths already recorded and the outbreak continuing to expand, the challenge facing Congo is no longer simply how to reopen schools.
It is how to keep children safe while preserving their right to education during one of the country's most serious health emergencies.