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

BUNIA, Congo (AP) — Parents and teachers in the heart of Congo's rapidly spreading Ebola outbreak are pleading with authorities to postpone the return to school as the virus continues to infect more people than can be stopped. The Ebola epidemic in the eastern Ituri province is the quickest-growing in the virus's history, with 5,713 confirmed cases and 2,744 deaths, according to Congolese health officials.

Schools are scheduled to resume on September 1, but educators and parents in Ituri are asking for a postponement, warning that the outbreak still presents too great a risk. Children under four years old have the highest fatality rate in the outbreak at 60%. Fazila Rebecca, a teacher in Bunia, told the Associated Press, "We wish to resume classes, but not at the expense of our lives.

As long as the disease is circulating and protective measures remain insufficient, returning to school means taking a risk we cannot ignore." The local teachers union in Ituri addressed the issue on Tuesday, urging authorities to examine the outbreak before deciding on school re-opening. "We are not opposed to the resumption of classes, but we believe that the health and safety of teachers and students must be a priority," said Budju Lobo Isaac, a teachers' union representative.

The United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, called for an additional $1.1 billion to combat the outbreak, noting that the UN's $2.13 billion response plan is only 48% funded due to insufficient contributions. The World Health Organization warns that the outbreak could surpass the 2014-2016 West Africa Ebola outbreak, the deadliest recorded, which claimed over 11,000 lives.

With limited vaccines and treatments available for the Bundibugyo virus causing the current outbreak, health workers face an uphill battle.