2020 BES TOFBK .COM
Caribbean L 16 ife, JULY 24-30, 2020
A woman wearing a mask to protect herself from the contagion of the
coronavirus, waits to buy food outside a store in the Playa municipality, in
Havana, Cuba. As of Tuesday, June 16, 1.7 million people have been affected
by the virus across Latin America and the Caribbean - doubling in the last
week. Jorge Luis Baños / IPS
Food insecurity concerns for Latin
America and the Caribbean
By Samira Sadeque
UNITED NATIONS, June 18, 2020
(IPS) — The multi-dimensional impacts
of the coronavirus pandemic in Latin
America could lead to a “hunger pandemic”
if not addressed with urgency.
Norha Restrepo, communications
officer at the World Food Programme’s
(WFP) Latin America office, shared this
concern with IPS following a briefing by
the United Nations agency on Tuesday
about COVID-19’s impact on the region.
As of Tuesday, Jun. 16, 1.7 million
people have been affected by the virus
across Latin America and the Caribbean
— doubling in the last week.
Miguel Barreto, WFP’s Regional
Director for Latin America and the
Caribbean, raised concerns about the
region’s massive informal labour sector,
which have been especially hard-hit by
lockdowns, as well as the grave effects
of other compounding factors such as
food insecurity and climate change.
“Our region already had problems
related to economic and climate shocks,
as well as insecurity and displacement,”
he said at the briefing, adding that
between 50 and 70 percent of workers
in the region earn their income
through jobs in the informal sector,
which makes them more vulnerable
and facing food insecurity under lockdown.
“Now, with COVID-19 restrictions in
place to save lives, millions have lost all
or part of their income. Many do not
know where their next meal is coming
from,” he said.
Restrepo echoed Barreto’s thoughts
in conversation with IPS.
“In an extraordinary situation like
this one, every other aspect of society
will definitely be impacted,” she said.
“But for the most vulnerable, the people
who really depend on the society and
the economy moving, the impact on
hunger was immediately seen — and
this can really get worse. So we definitely
have to do much more to avoid
this from becoming a hunger pandemic
as well.”
A vulnerable demographic
Experts all pointed out that Latin
America and the Caribbean have recently
become the hotspot for the virus
because it’s a region that was already
facing its share of struggles.
“Latin American countries became
hot spots because measures of prevention
and control are much less effective
than in industrialised countries,” Dr.
Cesar Chelala, a global health consultant
who has in the past voiced concerns
about the public health issues in the
region, told IPS.
In a March 2019 report, Chelala
detailed how issues such as “sprawling
urbanisation, environmental problems,
and increasing levels of obesity that
affect all age” as well as prevalence
of non-communicable diseases were a
massive concern in the region.
With the virus being especially quick
to spread in crowded areas, and affecting
people with underlying conditions,
the prevalence of Chelala’s highlighted
factors are worrisome.
“Any serious underlying condition
lowers a person’s immunity and, as a
result, the impact is much bigger. That
is why not only very sick people but also
older people are more prone to getting
the most serious forms of the infection,”
he told IPS.