Rampant hunger is appearing in Liberia, one of the west African nations hit by ebola, says Mother Jones magazine. It cites a spot check by Mercy Corps, a charity, of three parts of the country heavily affected by the disease. Some 90 percent of respondents said they were eating less at every meal since the outbreak began and they are eating fewer meals. Disease-control efforts have reduced the inflow of food and local agriculture is producing less.
“In northern parts of the country—like Lofa—where farmers normally rely on imported seeds from neighboring countries, rice production has fallen by as much as 25 percent in some areas. In the south, which depends heavily on mobile groups of farm laborers, production has fallen by as much as 50 percent as workers have stayed away in an attempt to avoid the disease,” says the Mother Jones story. The Washington Post says the UN World Food Program said food insecurity affects all parts of the country.