The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is grappling with a fast-spreading Ebola outbreak that has infected more than 3,200 people, with hunger significantly complicating containment efforts.

Declared on May 15, this Ebola outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo virus, is the largest of its kind to date. It affects 48 health zones across five eastern provinces: Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Tshopo, and Haut-Uele.

Food Insecurity Worsens the Crisis

Ituri, the epicenter of the outbreak, is also one of the country’s most severe hunger hotspots. Approximately 1.9 million residents face crisis-level food insecurity or worse. Across all affected zones, more than 2.65 million people suffer from acute food shortages, including over 628,000 in emergency conditions, according to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC).

Food Assistance Critical to Containment

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has stressed that food aid is a frontline tool against Ebola. Acting Executive Director Carl Skau emphasized that providing meals and food supplies helps keep families at home, supports safe isolation, builds community trust, and enables health workers to operate effectively.

“Ebola feeds on delay, fear and hunger,” Skau said. “Stopping this outbreak requires all hands on deck and communities at the centre.”

UN Response Efforts

  • The UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) has conducted 495 flights, transporting over 3,300 humanitarian staff and delivering 56 metric tonnes of essential cargo to frontline areas, including newly affected provinces.
  • WFP has provided more than 160,000 hot meals to patients, contacts, and frontline workers across 17 treatment and isolation centres.
  • Dry food rations have been distributed to 23,000 people in quarantine or affected zones in North Kivu, South Kivu, and Ituri.
  • General food assistance has reached an additional 36,000 individuals in Ebola-affected zones.

Challenges Ahead

Despite ongoing efforts, the outbreak response faces hurdles such as insecurity, logistical constraints, community unrest, and limited operational capacity in newly impacted areas. Delays and insufficient resources risk allowing Ebola to spread further.

WFP estimates that sustaining operations over the next six months requires $293.6 million to fund emergency logistics and food support in Ituri and other affected provinces.