Ebola leaves children traumatised in Sierra Leone
Associate Professor of Child Health and Human Rights Theresa Betancourt said that children and families in Sierra Leone are suffering from “massive trauma”.
She said that there are 50,000 children currently living on the streets in Sierra Leone and that they are vulnerable to trafficking.
She also added that the healthy system there is failing the citizens.
“One of the most troubling things we are seeing in this epidemic are the consequences of health systems and public trust that were never restored after the devastating civil wars in Liberia and Sierra Leone,” she added.
Sierra Leone is the country hardest-hit by Ebola.
The disease has claimed thousands of lives in the country: 495 out of 838-infected healthcare professionals alone have died.
In total, it has claimed 8,235 lives out of 20,747 known cases worldwide, though there are many unreported cases. The disease is spreading rapidly especially in the western part of Sierra Leone.
