Ebola threatens childhood education in DR Congo

The ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is disrupting education of hundreds of thousands of children in the most affected areas, as thousands of schools still lack basic hygiene facilities and other measures needed to protect children from infection.

With infections spreading to eight provinces so far, the outbreak is compounding the disruption caused by years of conflict and displacement in the country. Schools across the country are struggling with inadequate hygiene and limited support for children coping with fear and anxiety, according to the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), an independent humanitarian organization.

"The Ebola outbreak is a crisis within a crisis. The education of some of the children has been disrupted already for several months in some of the regions either because of the conflict or because of displacement. So, right now in the areas affected by the Ebola outbreak, we have approximately 5,700 schools in which we don't have enough measures put in place to ensure that the schools are being a safe space for the children," said Anastassia Chkolenok, spokeswoman for the NRC.

In the eastern province of Ituri, the epicenter of the outbreak, some schools are reporting low student attendance as parents keep their children at home out of fear that they could catch the virus at school. Aid agencies are working with schools to ease those fears and encourage children back into the classroom.

"NRC, in the different schools, has a program called the Better Learning Program, which is here to support the children with some anxiety and stress relief activities to make sure that our colleagues are hearing the children's concerns and they can respond to them to make sure that they feel safe enough to come to school and continue with their education," said Chkolenok.

However, misinformation about Ebola and insecurity are complicating the efforts to reach affected communities. The DRC government says it is working with international partners to address those challenges and strengthen the healthcare system. "Our healthcare system was already fragile to begin with, so the idea is now to strengthen the entire system -- by establishing sustainable mechanisms as part of our efforts to achieve universal health coverage," said Samuel-Roger Kamba, DRC Health Minister.

The Ebola outbreak has not only disrupted children's education in the DRC but also upended their livelihoods. A recent report by UNICEF, the United Nations agency for children, says over 1,900 children have lost or been separated from one or both of their parents or caregivers since the outbreak was declared in May.

As of Friday, the DRC had recorded 9,415 confirmed cases, including 4,536 deaths, since the outbreak began in May, representing a case fatality rate of 48.2 percent. Ituri accounts for more than 73 percent of all confirmed cases nationwide, followed by neighboring North Kivu Province.

The outbreak has become the largest and deadliest ever recorded in the DRC and the second-largest Ebola outbreak globally, after the 2014-2016 West Africa epidemic. Ebola threatens childhood education in DR Congo Chinese streaming giant iQIYI has adapted its app for Apple's foldable iPhone Duo in a move that showcases the Nasdaq-listed company's drive to keep up with technological developments, said the company's founder and CEO Gong Yu.

During a visit to iQIYI's Beijing headquarters in October, Apple Executive Chairman Tim Cook watched company staff demonstrate the iQIYI streaming app on the new iPhone Duo, due to go on sale on Oct 23. The app highlighted a vertical navigation bar for browsing and watching videos, a tent mode for landscape viewing and a laptop mode that places video above the playback controls.

For Gong, adapting the app reflects a broader shift in how people use smartphones as overall entertainment devices, not just for short-form content but for high-quality movies and television shows as well. "A smartphone is no longer just a communication device. It has increasingly become an entertainment device.

As a film and television streaming company, we pay close attention to new technology in devices that people use for both communication and entertainment. The close collaboration between our teams to adapt our app for the iPhone Duo reflects that approach. Our goal is to give users the best possible viewing experience," he said.

The company is also keeping an eye on tech developments beyond hardware. Gong noted his expectations that AI will help iQIYI adapt content for viewers across language and cultural boundaries. "AI is also everywhere now, in both hardware and services like ours.

For the film and television industry, its biggest impact is that it can lower the barriers to making content and bring down production costs. In particular, it can greatly reduce the cost of overcoming language and cultural barriers. That is a major help for a company like iQIYI as we expand into international markets," said the CEO.

The work on the Duo is part of a wider effort to adapt iQIYI’s service for different devices, Gong said. "We place great importance on making our software work well with a range of devices, including Apple's, so users get the best possible experience. That way, young viewers and people from different countries and ethnic backgrounds can all enjoy high-quality video," he said.

Returning to AI, he pointed to potential uses for the technology beyond production, including how streaming companies distribute content and earn revenue from it. "Countries and regions are moving at different speeds when it comes to applying AI. From our perspective, China is among the global leaders in AI.

It is also at the forefront of developing business models for streaming services. Strength in both areas gives us a head start in applying AI to film and television production, content distribution and monetization. Innovation in hardware and the use of AI can reinforce each other.

Together, they can achieve more than either could alone and unlock greater potential," he said. China's iQIYI streaming service adapts app for iPhone Duo, eyes AI cost cuts