UNICEF urges Thais to urgently donate to help fight Ebola
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The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Friday appealed to Thais for urgent donations to help fight the spread of the deadly Ebola virus in West Africa.
UNICEF Thailand Representative Bijaya Rajbhandari said the virus could threaten the lives of millions of others unless urgent action is taken to bring it under control.
UNICEF estimated that at least 3,700 children in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone have lost one or both parents to Ebola since the start of the outbreak. Many of these children are being shunned and rejected by surviving relatives due to fears of being infected by the virus.
UNICEF estimates that some 8.5 million children and young people under the age of 20 live in affected areas in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia. Of these, 2.5 million are under the age of five.
UNICEF has issued an appeal for US$ 200 million to respond to the outbreak, which is part of a broader, six-month appeal for $987.8 million that governments and humanitarian agencies require to fight the spread of the epidemic.
The Nation
