Handwashing in W.African schools protects children, families from Ebola: UN

REUTERS by Monica MacSwan                                                                     Aug. 12, 2015

LONDON -- Handwashing and giving out soap in schools in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone have helped to keep classrooms Ebola-free this year but schools need to remain vigilant after the summer holidays, the U.N. children's agency said on Wednesday.

UNICEF said there had been no reported cases of students or teachers contracting Ebola at a school this year in the three worst-hit countries in West Africa, where the virus has killed nearly 11,300 people since the outbreak began in late 2013.

In Liberia, where there have been as many as 4,800 deaths, two schools were decontaminated as a precaution after one student died in June and another became infected in July.

But Geoff Wiffin, UNICEF representative in Sierra Leone, said a major drive to make schools safe from Ebola appeared to have paid off, with students not only safe at school but also taking home the message on how to protect oneself against Ebola.                                                                                                                                                                  REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya

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