The ongoing Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo is exacerbating an already severe food insecurity crisis, according to Carl Skau, acting executive director of the United Nations World Food Program (WFP).
Speaking from Ituri province, a region heavily affected by both the Ebola outbreak and a long-running conflict, Skau characterized the situation as a “crisis on top of a crisis.” Eastern Congo is already grappling with one of the world's largest humanitarian crises, with nearly 10 million people facing crisis or emergency levels of hunger due to conflict.
In Ituri province alone, 1.9 million people are experiencing severe food insecurity. Across the 48 health zones affected by Ebola, more than 2.7 million people face acute food insecurity, including 628,000 in emergency conditions.
"Now with Ebola crisis, this is getting worse. Markets are impacted, supply routes are impacted and so people are struggling even more to have enough to eat," Skau told The Associated Press.
The current Ebola outbreak, described as the fastest in history, has reported 3,360 confirmed cases and 1,487 deaths since its declaration on May 15. Measures implemented to curb its spread, such as border closures, movement restrictions, and bans on large gatherings, have disrupted daily life and commerce, leading to increased food and fuel prices, the WFP noted.
The WFP has provided over 160,000 hot meals to patients, individuals in isolation, and frontline workers at 17 treatment and isolation centers. In Mongbwalu, a mining town and an outbreak epicenter, residents report that the Ebola crisis and related restrictions have made it difficult to provide for their families. Kahambu Deborah, a mother of six, stated that insecurity prevents access to farmland, and Ebola restrictions have compounded these challenges.
Health officials are observing a rise in malnutrition cases compared to the period before the outbreak, even within Ebola treatment centers, according to Dr. Richard Lokudu, director-general of Mongbwalu General Hospital.
The specific strain of the Ebola virus responsible for this outbreak lacks approved vaccines or treatments, unlike in previous outbreaks in Congo, complicating containment efforts. Officials warn that the virus continues to spread rapidly, outpacing the capacity of health authorities to track it despite an expanding response.
"The World Food Program needs resources (and) donors to step up so that we can do more, to alleviate the pressures on the people here in Ituri," Skau urged, highlighting the critical role of food aid in the overall response.