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1/5 伊波拉患者為兒童

2015-03-17

联合国儿童基金会发表的最新报告，强调必须尽快实现伊波拉零病例，並恢復基本服务

达卡／日内瓦／纽约／香港，2015年3月17日－伊波拉病毒对儿童造成灾难性的影响。在几内亚、利比里亚和塞拉利昂，约两成伊波拉患者是儿童。联合国儿童基金会（UNICEF）发表报告，强调要保护儿童和他们的社区，打败疫症及恢復基本服务至关重要。

UNICEF伊波拉全球紧急协调员芭芭拉‧本顿说：「直到不再有新病例出现，又能追踪及监察每一个曾与伊波拉患者接触的人，伊波拉疫情才能宣告结束。我们绝不能有半分松懈。同时，我们需要利用这次对抗疫情工作的宝贵资源，安全並妥善地恢復基本服务。」

报告着眼于伊波拉病毒威胁全球一些最脆弱国家中最脆弱社区时，对儿童构成的重大影响。逾24,000人感染伊波拉病毒，当中5,000人为儿童，另有超过16,000名儿童因伊波拉失去了一方或双方父母，或他们的监护人。对900万名生活在受影响地区的儿童来说，伊波拉病毒很可怕，他们目睹了一些他们无法理解的死亡和痛苦。

On 25 September, (centre) Ernest, 7, leans against a low wall in a village on the outskirts of the city of Kenema in Eastern Province. Several other children and a woman are around him. Many of the people in the village are affected by Ebola. Im bored because there is no more school, Ernest said. I really miss my English teacher, he was always making jokes. I hope this Ebola problem goes away soon so we can continue learning. Kenema District is under quarantine. In an attempt to curb spread of the disease, almost half of Sierra Leones 6.34 million population is now under quarantine. Primary and secondary schools remain closed across the country because of the Ebola crisis. On 1 October 2014, Sierra Leone is among countries in West Africa affected by the worst outeak of Ebola virus disease (EVD) in history. As of 16 September, UNICEF estimates that 8.5 million children and young people under the age of 20 live in areas affected by EVD in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, countries where disease transmission is widespread and intense. Of these, 2.5 million are under the age of 5. Preliminary UNICEF estimates (as of 30 September) also indicate that at least 3,700 children in the three countries have lost one or both parents to EVD since the start of the outeak. By 1 October, 4,080 cases and 2,071 deaths had been confirmed in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. UNICEF remains at the forefront of efforts to respond to and help curtail the outeak, and is the lead agency for the United Nations on social mobilization in the Ebola response. In Sierra Leone where 2,179 cases and 575 EVD deaths were confirmed by 1 October UNICEF is supporting social mobilization efforts, including Ebola prevention messaging and outreach and the creation and distribution of awareness-raising materials. UNICEF assistance also includes psychosocial support for patients and their families, contact persons and community members affected by EVD; training for medical

报告指出，社区在对抗疫情时能发挥了最关键作用外，还反映了在培养当地居民采取安全措施的工作上，进展理想。利比里亚一项调查显示，72%受访者认为有伊波拉症状的病人在治疗中心能得到更好的护理。很多人以往都把伊波拉患者留在家中，导致病毒在社区传播，现时情况明显有所改善。

UNICEF及合作伙伴共同对抗伊波拉病毒，並为成千上万名儿童接种疫苗，预防麻疹等其他致命疾病，加强基本衞生及医疗服务，並减低学校復课后，儿童在校感染伊波拉病毒的风险。伊波拉疫情爆发，导致学校关闭长达数月，500万名儿童因此失学。

长远来看，在受伊波拉影响的国家，投资于衞生及医疗系统，将有助对抗麻疹、肺炎和腹泻等严重影响儿童的疾病。报告建议长远的重建规划，应以对抗疫情的工作成果为基础，才可重建更美好的环境，並解决歷史遗留下的不平等状况。

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