The World Food Programme (WFP) has called for an urgent injection of funds to strengthen efforts against the worsening Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), warning that widespread hunger is making it harder to contain the disease.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, WFP Acting Executive Director Carl Skau said the agency was expanding emergency operations across eastern DRC, where confirmed Ebola cases have risen to more than 3,200.
The UN food agency said it was increasing the delivery of food assistance alongside logistics, telecommunications and humanitarian air services to support health workers responding to what has become the fastest spreading Ebola outbreak ever recorded.
The outbreak was officially declared on May 15 in eastern DRC. It is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, which can trigger severe haemorrhaging and has an estimated fatality rate of about 40 per cent.
According to WFP, the emergency extends far beyond public health, as communities already grappling with conflict, displacement and food shortages are becoming even more vulnerable.
The organisation warned that without rapid and flexible financial support, many families could be forced to choose between observing disease control measures and searching for food, a situation that could further accelerate transmission.
“Ebola feeds on delay, fear and hunger,” Carl Skau, WFP’s Acting Executive Director said.
“Stopping this outbreak requires all hands on deck and communities at the center. Food assistance is frontline Ebola containment.
“It helps families stay home, supports safe isolation, builds trust with communities and keeps health teams moving.
“We know what works; what we need now is the speed and resources to scale it before this outbreak outruns the response.”
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has described the current emergency as the largest Ebola outbreak linked to the Bundibugyo virus.
Health authorities said the disease has spread across 48 health zones in five eastern provinces: Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Tshopo and Haut-Uele.
Ituri remains the worst affected province, with about 1.9 million residents experiencing crisis or worse levels of food insecurity.
WFP added that more than 2.65 million people living in the Ebola-affected health zones are facing acute food insecurity, including over 628,000 in emergency conditions, according to figures from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, a UN-backed global food security monitoring system.
