‘Crisis on top of a crisis’: Ebola outbreak worsens hunger in eastern Congo

The Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo has deepened food insecurity in a region already facing one of the world’s largest humanitarian emergencies, the head of the United Nations food agency has warned.

Carl Skau, acting executive director of the World Food Program (WFP), described the situation as a “crisis on top of a crisis” during a visit to Ituri province, the centre of the Ebola outbreak.

According to the WFP, more than five million people across Congo are already experiencing emergency levels of food insecurity due to prolonged conflict and instability.

Conflict and Ebola disrupt food supplies

Eastern Congo has been affected by years of armed conflict, forcing millions of people into severe hunger conditions.

The WFP said nearly 10 million people in the region are facing crisis or emergency levels of hunger, including around 1.9 million people in Ituri province.

Across the 48 health zones affected by Ebola, more than 2.7 million people are experiencing acute food insecurity, including 628,000 people facing 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.

Health measures introduced to control the Ebola outbreak, including restrictions on movement, border controls and limits on gatherings, have disrupted local economies.

The WFP said these measures have affected businesses, reduced market activity and contributed to rising food and fuel prices.

The agency has provided more than 160,000 hot meals to Ebola patients, people exposed to the virus and frontline health workers across treatment and isolation centres.

Families struggle amid insecurity and Ebola measures

Residents in Mongbwalu, one of the outbreak’s main centres, said the combination of violence and Ebola restrictions has made it increasingly difficult to access food.

Kahambu Deborah, a mother of six, said insecurity had already prevented some families from reaching their farmland, while Ebola-related restrictions created further difficulties.

“Accessing food here is one of the hardest things we’ve had to deal with recently. Sometimes, because of the insecurity, we can’t even go to our fields, and our children are suffering as a result,” she said.

Health officials in the region have also reported an increase in malnutrition cases.

Dr Richard Lokudu, director-general of Mongbwalu General Hospital, said medical workers were seeing more malnutrition cases compared with before the outbreak, including among people receiving care at Ebola treatment centres.

Fast-spreading Ebola outbreak creates additional challenges

The current Ebola outbreak is considered one of the fastest-growing outbreaks recorded in Congo.

Since it was declared on May 15, the outbreak has recorded 3,360 confirmed cases, including 1,487 deaths.

The response has been complicated because the Bundibugyo virus strain responsible for the outbreak does not have approved vaccines or treatments, unlike some earlier Ebola outbreaks.

Officials have warned that the virus is spreading faster than health authorities can fully track.

The WFP said food assistance remains a critical part of the Ebola response because hunger can make communities more vulnerable during health emergencies.

Skau called for greater support from international donors to expand food assistance in Ituri province.

“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,” he said.

The crisis in eastern Congo highlights how disease outbreaks can worsen existing humanitarian problems, especially in areas already affected by conflict, displacement and limited access to basic services.