United Nations, Nov 4 (IANS): UNICEF said that the agency would be increasing its staff from 300 to 600 to combat Ebola in West Africa's Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, the three countries most affected by the dreaded virus.
Global Ebola Emergency Coordinator for UNICEF, Peter Salama Monday said that children account for 20 percent of all Ebola cases in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, Xinhua reported.
An estimated five million children are affected and some 4,000 children have become orphaned from the current epidemic, Salama added.
"Schools are closed, children are confined to their homes and discouraged to play with other children," said Salama.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the Ebola epidemic has killed some 5,000 people.