The United Nations World Food Programme is scaling up its operations to provide food to around 1 million people living in restricted access areas in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
Crisis Background
An outbreak of Ebola began in Guinea in December 2013, leading to an epidemic in West Africa. The outbreak was not detected until March 2014, after which it spread to Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Nigeria. It is the most severe outbreak of Ebola in terms of the number of human cases and fatalities since the discovery of the virus in 1976.
As of 16 August 2014, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported a total of 2,240 suspected cases and 1,229 deaths.
Towards a 1.3 Million Person Operation
In response to the continued spread of the virus, WFP is scaling up its operations through a regional emergency response that will provide food assistance to around 1.3 million people living in restricted access areas in the three affected countries that WFP serves. WFP has been and will continue to provide food to people in medical quarantines, people under treatment and their relatives, and to the most vulnerable people in the villages affected by the outbreak. (See Below)
WFP is responding to government and WHO requests to provide food assistance to individuals and communities affected by the Ebola outbreak, supporting their efforts to ensure people affected by the disease do not go hungry. The objective is to prevent a health Crisis to become a food crisis.
In the three countries, the food chain is threatened from the production to access to markets, and trading activities. Travel restrictions and displacements are likely to affect prices, as producers are leaving behind their lands, which are dedicated to both cropping and livestock production, in seeking areas perceived as safer from exposure to the virus
The bans in the consumption of traditional protein sources, specially bush meat hunted in the wild because of the potential for these animals, such as bats and apes, to host the virus, may also have implications to the food security and nutrition of the people in these communities;
On the top of that, hundreds of households have lost one or more of their members in working age as the majority of Ebola victims fall within the 15-45 year bracket. The reduction of household income coupled with the already observed food price rise will further deteriorate the food security situation.
WFP will include in the new regional operation the previous response package to the Ebola Outbreak which was targeting around 100,000 people.
To Date: WFP's Response In Guinea
WFP is providing food assistance to 34,000 people directly or indirectly affected by the Ebola epidemic in the prefectures of Kissidougo, Macenta, Guéckedou, Conakry, Télimélé, Boffa and N’Zérékoré.
Beneficiaries include hospitalized victims and their family members, people who have been in contact with infected people, hunters and sellers of bush meat and their family members, people that have been cured of Ebola and their families, and orphans and family members of Ebola victims who passed away.
Food distributions follow a different pattern for hospitalized patients and other people that are affected. Hospitalized victims receive cooked meals that are prepared by a partner on location. Other beneficiaries are given individual take-home rations of cereals, vegetable oil, pulses and salt that cover a period of 90 days.
To Date: WFP's Response In Sierra Leone
WFP is seeking to reach 27,000 people facing food insecurity, including Ebola patients and their families for 90 days. Priority will be given to households hosting children of Ebola patients or victims, elderly persons 60 years and above, children under 5 years, pregnant and breastfeeding women, abandoned children, Ebola patients and their families and discharged patients from Ebola isolation centres and their families.
Food distribution follows a different pattern for patients in isolation and their families. Patients in isolation centres receive cooked meals that are prepared by a partner on location. Families affected are given take-home dry rations.
The emergency response will provide food to people in Kissy Teng, Kissy Kama, Kissy Tongi and Jawei chiefdoms of Kailahun district and four Ebola Isolation Centres in Kenema, Daru, Kailahun and Koindu. The Government has requested that food be assistance be provided to all hospitals treating Ebola patients and families that have been quarantined.
Delivery of food takes place in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Sanitation through the District Medical Team in Kailahun and Doctors without borders.
To Date: WFP's Response In Liberia
WFP will respond to a government’s request for support with an emergency operation that will target 24,000 people affected by Ebola with full rations for 90 days.
Food delivery has started to the County Health Teams for onward distribution to Liberian families who are under quarantine for suspected/probable Ebola exposure in Bong and Nimba counties.
Liberia has closed most of its borders and quarantined some communities, in some of the toughest measures yet by a government to tackle the outbreak.
There have been attacks on medical and humanitarian workers. Humanitarian organizations, such as Samaritan's Purse and the US Peace Corps, are withdrawing staff and volunteers.
The Government with the help of the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) has set up quarantine checkpoints to ban cross-county movements and is deploying military personnel to affected areas to prevent travel into regions that have seen the disease and provide security for health workers. As of Thursday 7 August two counties have been isolated, Vonjama where WFP has a field office, and Bomi.