Ebola has orphaned thousands of children in West Africa, and
relatives are terrified of taking them in for fear of infection, the
United Nations said.
About 3,700 children in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone have lost one or both parents to the disease, according to U.N. child agency, UNICEF.
In addition to mourning the loss of caregivers in the three hardest-hit nations, the children feel abandoned and stigmatized.
"Orphans are usually
taken in by a member of the extended family, but in some communities,
the fear surrounding Ebola is becoming stronger than family ties," said
Manuel Fontaine, UNICEF's regional director.
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