DRC: Schools reopen in ebola epicentre despite concerns

As students around the world prepare to go back to school, the beginning of the academic year in the Democratic Republic of Congo is far from straightforward.

The country is still in the grips of an ebola outbreak, and parents and teachers alike have voiced concerns that the virus poses a risk.

Staff say they're doing what they can to keep everyone safe. Gerlance Mahamba Mumbere, a school manager, said, "the children (students) enter the classroom without shaking hands, the children avoid eating together, and neither the children nor the teachers touch each other. We have placed hand-washing stations in every corner of the classrooms, and there is no (walking around) during recess."

It comes amid what authorities have described as the fastest-growing outbreak of the disease ever, with the death toll currently at 2,950. Parents have warned their children to be on high alert.

Noëlla Mite Apesilam says, "in the morning, before they leave the house, I tell them not to shake hands at school, not to kiss each other, and to follow the safety guidelines. Here at home, it's mostly about handwashing, and I make them lemon water to drink throughout the day."

Preventive measures have become the main focus for schools, and members of the ebola response team have urged children and staff to follow them precisely.

Michel Méta Wani, Civil society leader in Ituri and partner of Ebola Response Team explains, "we have schools with two hundred, three hundred, and even five hundred students each. And if we don't follow these measures (protective barriers), we may come to regret it, and that would be difficult for our children. But we hope that, as community leaders, we cannot accept the possibility that our children might die. We are going to support these measures right now."

UNICEF said it is helping authorities to prevent transmissions in schools. Endeavours to contain the virus have been hindered by a lack of an approved vaccine or treatment.