Parents and teachers in Congo urge delay of school resumption as Ebola outbreak rages on

Parents and educators in eastern Congo are calling for a delay in the resumption of schools due to the rapid spread of an Ebola outbreak in the Ituri province. The epidemic, currently the fastest-growing in the history of the disease, has resulted in 5,713 confirmed cases and 2,744 deaths, according to official reports. Schools in Congo are scheduled to reopen on September 1st, but some teachers and parents in Ituri are urging officials to postpone the return, arguing that the health risks to children are still too high.

Infants aged four and under have the most severe prognosis, with a 60% fatality rate in the outbreak, based on available health data. Fazila Rebecca, a teacher in Ituri's capital of Bunia, expressed her concerns to The Associated Press, saying, "We want to resume classes, but not at the cost of our lives. As long as the disease is circulating and protective measures remain inadequate, returning to the classroom means taking a risk we cannot ignore."

The local Ituri teachers union met on Tuesday in Bunia, urging authorities to evaluate the outbreak before deciding on the reopening of schools. Budju Lobo Isaac, a representative of the teachers' union, stated, "We are not against the resumption of classes, but we believe that the health and safety of teachers and students must be the top priority." Officials in Ituri have yet to comment on the matter.