- Title: Ebola contacts in Beni struggle to access food, increasing risk of infection
- Date: 18th September 2019
- Summary: BENI, NORTH KIVU, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO (RECENT) (REUTERS) FURAH MUDERUA, 37-YEAR-OLD MOTHER OF 7 CHILDREN, WHO CAME INTO CONTACT WITH HER SISTER WHO DIED OF EBOLA, TAKING FOOD AID FROM THE WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME (WFP) DISTRIBUTION POINT AND WALKING AWAY (SOUNDBITE) (Swahili) FURAH MUDERUA, PERSON UNDER QUARANTINE, SAYING: "I received a bag yesterday and it ran out faster than I expected. Really, tell me, in 21 days, do you think this will be enough for me with all the children I have? We don't know how we should live. You see these bowls here that is where I keep food for my children in the morning and here I put maize. But I can't do that. There isn't even any sugar or tea for the children." (SOUNDBITE) (Swahili) FURAH MUDERUA, WHOSE SISTER DIED OF EBOLA, SAYING: "It was my sister who fell ill with Ebola. I was in contact with her all the time really, at home. Even when she started to get the fever, we were always together, until she went to hospital (Ebola Treatment Centre) and then I went to see her every day until she died." THREE OF MUDERUA'S CHILDREN STANDING AGAINST THE WALL MUDERUA'S FACE MUDERUA WITH HER CHILDREN (SOUNDBITE) (Swahili) FURAH MUDERUA, PERSON UNDER QUARANTINE, SAYING: "They need to give us more (WFP). I can't work, I can't do anything. Just imagine, what happens when the food runs out before the 21 days, how will, I manage with all these children. The first measure of rice they gave me ended in 5 days. The bag I showed you and the measure I received yesterday will last me 4 or 5 days, because I have a lot of children, and I am not allowed to go out to find other means of feeding my children." DISTRIBUTION CENTRE, MAMA ELISE WHO IS QUARANTINED WASHING HER HANDS MAMA ELISE GETTING HER TEMPERATURE TAKEN LOCAL HEALTH TEAM MEMBER READING HER TEMPERATURE FROM THE THERMOMETER MAMA ELISE WALKING TO REGISTRATION TENT WFP STAFF REGISTERING LOCALS MAMA ELISE TAKING A WFP BAG OF FOOD (SOUNDBITE) (Swahili) MAMA ELISE, PERSON UNDER QUARANTINE, SAYING: "I live under observation by the community network because I was in contact with someone who died of Ebola. That is why WFP gives us food because we can't do anything during this observation period" WFP TENT AND WFP STAFF AROUND IT SIGN READING WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME WFP STAFF AND MATHILDE VAULTIER WFP CO-ORDINATOR IN BENI (SOUNDBITE) (French) MATHILDE VAULTIER, WFP COORDINATOR IN BENI SAYING: "In view of the 'scale-up' and increase in WFP activities we need another 30 million (US dollars) to address this new need and address this epidemic" FOOD PILED UP INSIDE TENT FOOD BAGS WITH WFP LOGO ON THE GROUND WFP RICE BAGS STAFF SEALING UP A RICE BAG (SOUNDBITE) (Swahili) FURAH MUDERUA, PERSON UNDER QUARANTINE SAYING: "Here in Beni we use to live really well before all this insecurity and this Ebola epidemic. Everything was good and you could go into the fields without any problems, in the bush to get things without any problems. You could go and visit someone at a hospital and go home without any problems. None of that is possible now. We really want to see an end to this business with the rebels killing people and also that this Ebola epidemic stops." VARIOUS OF FOOD BAGS BEING TAKEN TO A TRUCK TRUCK LEAVING TO DISTRIBUTE FOOD TO MORE EBOLA CONTACTS OUTSIDE BENI
- Embargoed: 2nd October 2019 15:40
- Keywords: People who have come into contact with Ebola patients Ebola quarantine families struggle to access food WFP food donation
- Location: NATURAL WITH FRENCH AND SWAHILI SPEECH
- City: NATURAL WITH FRENCH AND SWAHILI SPEECH
- Country: Congo, Democratic Republic of the
- Topics: Health/Medicine
- Reuters ID: LVA001AX6QBTJ
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: For 13 years, Furah Muderua has supported her seven children by selling vegetables at the market in Beni, in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Muderua who sources vegetables from villages bordering Uganda lives in North Kivu province, the epicentre of an Ebola epidemic in the country.
Today, Muderua is picking up rations of rice, beans, oil and salt from the World Food Programme (WFP) because she is among residents who are under quarantine after coming into contact with Ebola cases.
She collects food here once a week, and says she is getting worried because the rations are not enough for the family, and often run out before the next distribution.
"I received a bag yesterday and it ran out faster than I expected. Really, tell me, in 21 days, do you think this will be enough for me with all the children I have? We don't know how we should live. You see these bowls here that is where I keep food for my children in the morning and here I put maize. But I can't do that. There isn't even any sugar or tea for the children," she added.
Muderua went into quarantine, after carrying for her sister who died of the virus at the end of last month.
As Congolese and international health care workers from the WHO and MSF and other NGOs battle to contain Ebola by treating patients and vaccinating the population, the WFP is distributing food locally to ensure the contacts don't move for at least 21 days of monitoring so as to stop the virus from spreading.
But not being able to work in these poor communities is adding hardship to the fear of the epidemic and the insecurity in the region.
"They need to give us more (WFP). I can't work, I can't do anything. Just imagine, what happens when the food runs out before the 21 days, how will, I manage with all these children. The first measure of rice they gave me ended in 5 days. The bag I showed you and the measure I received yesterday will last me 4 or 5 days, because I have a lot of children, and I am not allowed to go out to find other means of feeding my children," said Muderua.
The World Food Programme (WFP) says Ebola turns the most mundane aspects of everyday life upside down - hurting local businesses, preventing children from going to school and hampering vital and routine health services.
Although it is primarily a health crisis it impacts on how people care for their family, view their neighbours and interact with their community.
The WFP's distribution point set up in Beni is more than just a food ration centre. Health workers check people's temperatures, register them and use the pull of aid as a means of monitoring them.
After people under quarantine like Muderua and Mama Elise have picked up their food kits, local community staff come to their homes to make sure they stay put, take their temperature again and blood samples if necessary so they can catch any new case quickly.
The WFP has assisted 500,000 people under quarantine since the start of the epidemic and plan to assist an extra 400,000 people in the next 6 months.
"In view of the 'scale-up' and increase in WFP activities we need another 30 million (US dollars) to address this new need and address this epidemic" said WFP co-ordinator in Beni, Mathilde Vaultier.
The quarantine period lasts 21 days, and those under quarantine like Muderua say they are can't live off food portions and need to go back to work.
"Here in Beni we used to live really well before all this insecurity and this Ebola epidemic. Everything was good and you could go into the fields without any problems, in the bush to get things without any problems. You could go and visit someone at a hospital and go home without any problems. None of that is possible now. We really want to see an end to this business with the rebels killing people and also that this Ebola epidemic stops," Muderua said.
The outbreak has so far killed over 2,000 people and infected 1,000 more. Only the 2013-16 epidemic in West Africa, which killed more than 11,300, was deadlier.
(Benoit Nyemba, Yvonne Bell) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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