* Any views expressed in this article are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters Foundation.
The United Nations World Food Programme is scaling up its operations to provide food to around 1 millionpeople living in restricted access areas in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.
In response to the continued spread of the Ebola virus, The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is scaling up its operations through a regional emergency response that will provide food assistance to around 1 million people living in restricted access areas in the three affected countries that WFP serves. Over the past months, WFP has already been providing such assistance, and will continue to provide, food to people in medical quarantines, people under treatment and their relatives, and to the most vulnerable people in villages affected by the outbreak.
Since the outbreak was officially declared in March 2014, WFP Guinea has been responding to government and World Health Organization requests to provide food assistance to individuals and communities affected by the Ebola virus.
Over the past four months, , WFP has provided emergency 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 in Guinea.
To help contain the virus, and ensure individuals and communities directly and indirectly affected by the Ebola outbreak do not go hungry, WFP is now responding to increased food needs. The quarantine and disruptions in production, trade and other livelihood activities in the region are expected to further deteriorate already difficult conditions, which place increasing pressure on the most vulnerable populations at risk of food insecurity.
"Emergency food aid is essential to enable people to follow strict quarantine rules, and to help people affected by the shock to recover socially and economically," said Elisabeth Faure, Country Director for WFP Guinea. "We are therefore doing everything we can to continue delivering food to people in need in time," she added.
WFP's food assistance to hospitalized victims in isolation centres ensures that the victims receive the necessary nutrients for their bodies to fight the virus. WFP's food assistance also ensures that while being quarantined, people have enough to eat and do not have to leave their homes to purchase food. WFP assistance thus helps to stabilize affected communities by limiting unnecessary movement and enabling them to cope with lost livelihoods.
WFP staff members in affected countries are not directly in contact with Ebola patients. However, they have received and are following WHO guidance to prevent contamination.
