Goma, DR Congo – Children across the Democratic Republic of the Congo are returning to school on Tuesday as the country battles its largest Ebola outbreak on record, prompting concern among parents and teachers in the worst-hit province of Ituri. Government figures showed 6,041 confirmed cases and 2,911 deaths as of August 31, surpassing the previous worst outbreak, which ran from 2018 to 2020. Six of the country’s 26 provinces are affected.
Ituri, in the northeast, remains the epicentre, with 4,802 confirmed cases recorded as of August 26. In Bunia, Ituri’s provincial capital, parents are questioning whether schools should reopen while the outbreak continues to spread. We are asking the government what measures they will put in place to protect children from this disease,” said Dieudonne Lotsima, a father of three and resident of Bunia.
Lotsima believes classes should be postponed until a vaccine specifically effective against the virus causing the outbreak becomes available. This return to school is uncertain, and if we do not take steps to protect the children, I do not know what we can do.” The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, a species of ebolavirus different from the Zaire ebolavirus, which has caused most previous Ebola outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. There is currently no approved vaccine or treatment specifically for Bundibugyo virus disease.
Ervebo, the vaccine approved against Zaire ebolavirus, is being given to front-line health workers, but its effectiveness against Bundibugyo has not been established. The World Health Organization is supporting a clinical trial to assess whether it can protect against the strain responsible for the current outbreak. Rather than impose a nationwide closure, the government is using different arrangements according to the level of Ebola risk.
In the highest-risk areas, pupils will study from home using printed materials and radio programmes, according to the Ministry of Education. Workbooks and learning sheets covering essential parts of the curriculum will be distributed, while local and community radio stations will broadcast programmes to accompany them. Families without radios may also be provided with them.
Raissa Malu, the minister of education, said on August 18 that 40 of the country’s 138 educational subdivisions in Ebola-affected provinces were affected by the outbreak. Eighteen were classified as high risk. The government has divided areas into three categories: green, where there is no reported Ebola transmission; orange, where areas are affected but can continue with additional precautions; and red, where the risk is considered highest.
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