During the coronavirus pandemic, there’s another plague happening: swarms of hungry locusts. The species of grasshopper have a big appetite for teff, wheat and sorghum, Vox reports, and as they sweep across parts of Africa, South Asia and the Middle East, they’re threatening famine while these areas continue to fight against the highly contagious respiratory virus.
The threat is so serious that the World Bank has approved a record-breaking $500 million in grants and low-interest loans to battle the swarms.
According to Reuters, the hardest-hit countries — Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda — will receive $160 million right away.