Key facts
- The Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo is worsening food insecurity, according to Carl Skau, acting executive director of the World Food Program.
- Over 5 million Congolese were already facing emergency-level food insecurity prior to the Ebola crisis.
- Restrictions implemented to combat Ebola, such as border closures and movement limitations, have disrupted markets and increased food and fuel prices.
- The World Food Program has provided over 160,000 hot meals to those affected by the outbreak.
- Health workers in affected regions are reporting a rise in malnutrition cases.
The Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo is significantly worsening an already dire food insecurity situation, according to Carl Skau, the acting executive director of the United Nations World Food Program (WFP).
Skau described the situation as a "crisis on top of a crisis," noting that over five million Congolese were already experiencing emergency-level food insecurity. The long-standing conflict in eastern Congo has pushed nearly 10 million people into crisis or emergency levels of hunger, with Ituri province, the epicenter of the Ebola outbreak, being one of the most affected areas.
Measures implemented to control the Ebola outbreak, including border closures and restrictions on movement and gatherings, have disrupted markets and supply routes, leading to increased food and fuel prices. This has made it even more challenging for people to obtain sufficient food. Across the 48 health zones impacted by Ebola, more than 2.7 million people are facing acute food insecurity, with 628,000 in emergency conditions.
The WFP has been providing essential food aid, delivering over 160,000 hot meals to patients, contacts, and frontline workers in treatment and isolation centers. Residents in affected towns like Mongbwalu report extreme difficulty in feeding their families due to restricted access to farmland and the general insecurity exacerbated by the Ebola response measures.
Health officials are observing a notable increase in malnutrition cases in the region, even within Ebola treatment centers. The WFP's food support programs are helping to mitigate the impact by reducing the need for people to travel long distances in search of survival means. Skau emphasized the need for increased resources and donor support to alleviate the pressures on the population in Ituri.