Parents and teachers in Congo urge delay of school resumption as Ebola outbreak rages on

BUNIA, Congo -- Parents and teachers at the epicenter of Congo's fast-moving Ebola outbreak are urging authorities to delay the reopening of schools as infections continue to outpace efforts to contain the disease.The Ebola outbreak centered in the eastern Ituri province is the fastest-growing in the disease's history and remains out of control with 5,713 confirmed cases, including 2,744 deaths, according to Congolese health authorities. Schools are set to reopen across Congo on Sept. 1, but some teachers and parents in Ituri are urging authorities to delay the return, saying the Ebola outbreak still poses too great a risk to children.Children aged 4 and below have the highest case-fatality rate of any age group in the outbreak, at 60%, according to available health data.“We want to resume classes, but not at the cost of our lives,” Fazila Rebecca, a teacher in Ituri's capital of Bunia, told The Associated Press. “As long as the disease is circulating and protective measures remain inadequate, returning to the classroom means taking a risk we cannot ignore.”The local Ituri teachers union met Tuesday in Bunia, urging authorities to assess the outbreak before deciding whether to reop...