In the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ebola patients have begun leaving treatment centers in search of food, creating a serious obstacle to the fight against the outbreak of the dangerous virus. This was reported by Bloomberg, writes UNN.
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According to local authorities, since the end of May, more than 150 cases of escape from treatment and isolation centers have been recorded. In one episode, 11 patients left a hospital in the Mongbwalu area due to a lack of food. The Ebola outbreak in the east of the country has now affected nearly 900 people, more than a quarter of whom have died.
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A representative of the World Food Programme, David Stevenson, emphasized that the problem of hunger directly affects the fight against the disease.
"People responding to outbreaks come to us, knock on our doors and say: 'We need food aid if we want to end Ebola.' I have never seen anything like this,"
Health workers are tracking about 6,400 people who may have had contact with the virus. At the same time, many families have to choose between complying with quarantine restrictions and finding means of survival.
"If you restrict people, you need to provide them with food. And if they don't get food, they will move,"
According to estimates by the World Food Programme, at least $175 million is needed to continue humanitarian operations in Congo until November.
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