WUNRN
Ebola
Orphan Children Accused of Witchcraft, Black Magic, in West Africa - Girls
(Photo: Reuters/Ahmed Jallanzo/UNICEF)
Girls look at a poster, distributed by UNICEF, bearing
information on and illustrations of best practices that help prevent the spread
of Ebola virus disease, in the city of Voinjama, in Lofa County, Liberia, in
this April 2014 UNICEF photo.
By Stoyan Zaimov
, Christian Post Reporter
October 10, 2014 - The spread of the deadly Ebola outbreak
throughout West Africa is leaving hundreds of children orphaned, and a number
of them are reportedly marginalized by some tribal communities due to the fear
of witchcraft and black magic.
"There's
a strong belief in witchcraft that Ebola is contracted through a curse or in
some cases that it is a white man's fabrication," said Jamie Bedson,
charity Restless Development's Sierra Leone country director, according to The Financial Times.
There
is a mistrust of foreigners, and in one place everyone threw away soap given
out by the government because they thought it was poisoned."
Fides News Agency reported on Thursday that the health
systems are in danger of collapsing in the hardest-hit countries of Liberia,
Sierra Leone and Guinea. The Liberian government, with the help of NGOs, has so
far registered 310 orphaned children who were not infected but who's parents
died from Ebola, while another 600-700 remain in quarantine.
The children are faced not only with coping with the loss of
family members, but also the preconceived notions of witchcraft.
Indigenous beliefs are spread throughout West Africa, and
according to the CIA World Factbook claim 30 percent of the population in
Sierra Leone. Liberia has a majority Christian population of over 85 percent,
but indigenous beliefs are sometimes mixed in with the larger religions.
Over 3,800 people have died due to Ebola throughout West Africa,
and the disease has infected a number of westerners who have returned to their
home countries.
Five major American airports are starting
examining passengers for Ebola from the three West African
countries in the wake of the death of Dallas man Thomas Eric Duncan, who had
travelled and returned from Liberia.
Speaking at the World Bank headquarters in Washington on
Thursday, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Dr. Thomas
Frieden said that the Ebola outbreak is the biggest world health crisis since
HIV/AIDS, Voice of America reported.
Sylvia Burwell, the American cabinet secretary for health, added
that "the nation is frightened, and people are frightened of this
disease."
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon underlined that the
world needs a "twenty-fold resource mobilization" to deal with the
Ebola crisis. He said that the "surge in assistance" should include
mobile labs, vehicles, helicopters, protective equipment, trained medical personnel,
and medical evacuation capacities.
The U.S. has responded to the outbreak overseas by sending over
3,000 medical troops to West Africa. The American personnel are tasked with
building treatment tents and helping educate the local population on Ebola
prevention measures.
More
than 500 troops from the 36th Engineer Brigade, 1st Medical Brigade and 85th
Civil Affairs Brigade stationed at Ft. Hood in Killeen, Texas, are expected to
deploy to Liberia by the end of this month. Approximately 200 troops stationed
at Ft. Bliss, in El Paso will also deploy. Their mission, according to Texas
Gov. Rick Perry's office, will be constructing facilities to be used in the
housing and care of Ebola patients. The servicemen and women are part of a
larger deployment recently announced by the U.S. Department of Defense that
will send more than 3,000 troops to West Africa.