Food Crisis Worsens Risk of Ebola Spread in Congo

JAKARTA - The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) warns that political instability and the food crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo exacerbate the risk of spreading the Ebola outbreak in the country.

The warning comes after the World Health Organization (WHO) raised the Ebola outbreak risk level in the Democratic Republic of Congo to "very high".

"This outbreak is a race against time. Without rapid and coordinated action on a large scale, the health crisis could turn into an uncontrollable humanitarian emergency in eastern Congo and beyond," said WFP's Director for Congo, David Stevenson.

The WFP stressed that the UN Humanitarian Air Service had delivered vital aid to Ebola-affected areas, including remote areas, adding that the crisis occurred amid an already deteriorating security situation in the country.

A total of 26.5 million people across the Congo are currently facing acute food insecurity, including 10 million people suffering from severe hunger in four eastern provinces, namely Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, and Tanganyika.

According to the WFP, it is working with the Congolese government, WHO, and partner organizations to increase emergency responses to prevent the Ebola outbreak from developing into a large-scale humanitarian disaster.

Hundreds of humanitarian workers and tens of tons of emergency medical supplies have been sent to Congo.

Bunia city is said to be the main logistics center, with more than 46 tons of cargo arriving and distributed to at least 14 areas to support Ebola handling.

On Sunday, the WHO declared the Ebola Bundibugyo strain outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda as a public health emergency of international concern.

So far, more than 750 suspected Ebola cases and 177 deaths have been reported.