00:01The students around the world prepare to go back to school.
00:04The beginning of the academic year in the Democratic Republic of Congo is far from straightforward.
00:10The country is still in the grips of an Ebola outbreak,
00:13and parents and teachers alike have voiced concerns that the virus poses a risk.
00:18Staff say they're doing what they can to keep everyone safe.
00:25The children enter the classroom without shaking hands.
00:27They avoid eating together, and neither the children nor the teachers touch each other.
00:32We've placed hand-washing stations in every corner of the classrooms,
00:36and there's no walking around during recess.
00:42It comes amid what authorities have described as the fastest-growing outbreak of the disease ever,
00:47with the death toll currently at 2,950.
00:51Parents have warned their children to be on high alert.
00:57In the morning, before they leave the house, I tell them not to shake hands at school,
01:01not to kiss each other, and to follow the safety guidelines.
01:05Here at home, it's mostly about hand-washing, and I make them lemon water to drink throughout the day.
01:16Preventive measures have become the main focus for schools,
01:19and members of the Ebola response team have urged children and staff to follow them precisely.
01:27We have schools with 200, 300 and even 500 students each,
01:31and if we don't follow these measures, we may come to regret it,
01:35and that would be difficult for our children.
01:37But we hope that, as community leaders, we cannot accept the possibility that our children might die.
01:43We're going to support these measures right now.
01:49UNICEF says it's helping authorities to prevent transmissions in schools.
01:53Endeavours to contain the virus have been hindered by a lack of an approved vaccine or treatment.
