WFP says Ebola response in Congo must include food aid

World Food Programme Country Director David Stevenson said the response to Ebola in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo must go beyond health care alone.

He said the region is already struggling with conflict, displacement and severe food insecurity, and that hunger makes it harder for families to follow health protocols and support the wider response.

Stevenson further said more than 500,000 people in Ituri are facing IPC Phase 4 hunger, just one step away from starvation, and warns the outbreak is moving faster than the response.

The WFP is already helping with logistics, humanitarian flights, supply chains and hot meals at treatment centres.

It is also helping build treatment centres, but Stevenson says more resources are urgently needed to get food assistance to remote areas and support the communities most affected by Ebola.