United Nations: Fastest-growing Ebola outbreak on record

UN experts called on Wednesday for a significant increase in humanitarian aid to combat the rapidly worsening Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo, as case numbers continue to rise.

The German News Agency (dpa) quoted Julian Harnes, the UN Ebola coordinator, saying, “The number of cases is increasing significantly, doubling every 20 days. This is much faster growth than our response.”

Harnes added, “We need to massively strengthen our response, whether in terms of supplies and specialized resources such as personal protective equipment, staff, specialized medical teams, and logistics providers.”

He noted that early treatment has significantly improved patients’ chances of survival.

For his part, the Director of the UN World Food Programme (WFP) told the Associated Press on Wednesday that the Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo is exacerbating food insecurity in a country already grappling with one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises.

Speaking during a visit to Ituri Province, Acting Executive Director of the WFP, Carl Skau, described the outbreak as a “crisis upon a crisis” that has worsened a catastrophic situation where more than five million Congolese are already experiencing food insecurity at emergency levels.

The long-standing conflict in eastern Congo has caused nearly 10 million people to suffer from hunger at crisis or emergency levels. Ituri Province, the epicenter of the Ebola outbreak, has been among the hardest-hit areas, with a population of 1.9 million, according to the WFP.

The agency added that in approximately 48 health zones affected by Ebola, more than 2.7 million people face acute food insecurity, including 628,000 in emergency conditions.

Skau said, “Now, with the Ebola crisis, things have gotten worse. Markets have been affected, supply routes have been disrupted, and people are struggling even more to get enough food.”