The World Food Programme (WFP) has called for a response to the Ebola outbreak in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) that goes beyond healthcare interventions.
It warned that conflict, displacement and severe food insecurity are worsening the crisis.
WFP Country Director, David Stevenson, said hunger was making it more difficult for affected families to comply with health protocols and support efforts to contain the outbreak.
According to Stevenson, “more than 500,000 people in Ituri Province are currently facing IPC Phase 4 food insecurity, a level described as an emergency and just one step away from famine.”
He warned that the Ebola outbreak was moving faster than the humanitarian response, stressing the urgent need for additional resources to reach communities in remote and severely affected areas.
Stevenson said; “the WFP was already supporting the response through logistics, humanitarian flights, supply chains and the provision of hot meals at Ebola treatment centres.”
He explained that the agency was also supporting the construction of treatment centres but needed more resources to expand food assistance and reach vulnerable communities.
Stevenson stressed that addressing hunger alongside healthcare was critical to ensuring affected communities could participate effectively in the Ebola response and preventing the crisis from worsening.
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