Starvation risk

The Independent reports that 4,000 children in west Africa have been orphaned by the virus, and that number could rise as the UN predicts 10,000 new cases per week. It reports that last month, two children orphaned by the virus starved to death, as aid workers weren’t able to reach them. The newspaper interviews the head of the Street Child charity, who says food prices have risen by up to 100% in Ebola-affected areas of the country, and people are afraid to go out to the fields or to market. Especially in places under quarantine, this leaves people vulnerable:

Life in those districts – it’s like holding your breath: you can do it for a while, but you can’t do it for huge periods. It’s the most vulnerable that reach the sharp end first.