The Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) continues to escalate rapidly, with the virus now claiming a life every 30 minutes, according to the United Nations.

Tom Fletcher, UN humanitarian affairs chief, emphasized the urgent need to intensify efforts, stating, "Ebola is winning in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. We cannot let the virus outrun our response."

The outbreak, declared on May 15, 2026, has so far resulted in 2,184 deaths, representing nearly 47% of confirmed cases. It has spread across six of the country’s 26 provinces, with Uganda also reporting 20 cases.

Increased Funding and Response Efforts

  • The UN has allocated an additional $30.5 million from its Central Emergency Response Fund, supplementing a previous $24 million commitment to combat the epidemic.
  • The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) recently deployed 20 more staff to the outbreak’s epicenter, though Fletcher noted that further reinforcements are likely necessary.
  • The World Food Programme (WFP) is expanding its hot meal program to more Ebola treatment centers in Ituri and surrounding provinces to support affected populations.

Challenges Amid Conflict and Food Insecurity

The outbreak’s heart remains Ituri province, which has recorded over 3,400 of the 4,660 total cases. The region is also grappling with ongoing conflict between the Congolese military and the Rwanda-backed M23 militia, complicating containment efforts.

Food insecurity is severe, with approximately 2.6 million people in eastern DRC facing serious malnutrition—more than half in Ituri alone. Since late May, WFP has provided over 260,000 hot meals in treatment and isolation centers across affected provinces.

Calls for Greater Global Solidarity

Fletcher highlighted the need to double teams responsible for safe burials, triple treatment capacity, enhance contact tracing, and deploy more experienced leadership to curb the outbreak. Additionally, ongoing provision of water, hygiene, and healthcare support is critical given the intersecting challenges of disease and armed conflict.

Funding gaps remain, particularly in food assistance, which is only 25% financed. Fletcher urged the international community to respond decisively, declaring, "The world needs to wake up and show up."