Key points
- The World Food Programme (WFP) has appealed for urgent funding to combat rising hunger amid the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
- Ebola cases have surpassed 3,200, making it the fastest-spreading outbreak on record.
- WFP warned that hunger is undermining efforts to contain the disease, particularly in conflict-affected eastern DRC.
- More than 2.65 million people in Ebola-affected areas face acute food insecurity, including over 628,000 in emergency conditions.
- The agency said food assistance is critical to supporting isolation measures and strengthening the outbreak response.
Main Story
The World Food Programme (WFP) has appealed for immediate funding to address worsening hunger in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), warning that food insecurity is undermining efforts to contain an Ebola outbreak that has infected more than 3,200 people.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, WFP Acting Executive Director, Carl Skau, said the UN agency was rapidly expanding food assistance, logistics, telecommunications and aviation support across eastern DRC, where the outbreak has become the fastest-spreading Ebola epidemic on record.
The Ebola outbreak, declared in eastern DRC on May 15, is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, a strain associated with severe haemorrhagic fever and an estimated fatality rate of about 40 per cent.
According to the WFP, the outbreak has evolved beyond a public health emergency into a humanitarian crisis, with conflict, displacement and widespread hunger complicating containment efforts.
The agency warned that without urgent and flexible donor support, many vulnerable households could be forced to choose between complying with public health measures and securing food, a situation that could further accelerate the spread of the disease.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) described the outbreak as the largest ever linked to the Bundibugyo virus, with 48 health zones across five eastern provinces—Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Tshopo and Haut-Uele—currently affected.
The outbreak’s epicentre, Ituri Province, remains one of the country’s worst food insecurity hotspots, where an estimated 1.9 million people are experiencing crisis or worse levels of hunger.
Data from the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) also show that more than 2.65 million people in the Ebola-affected health zones face acute food insecurity, including over 628,000 in emergency conditions.
WFP said it would continue scaling up emergency operations but stressed that additional financial support is urgently needed to sustain food assistance and strengthen the broader humanitarian response.
The Issues
The Ebola outbreak highlights the growing link between disease outbreaks, conflict and food insecurity. Humanitarian agencies warn that hunger can undermine public health interventions by making it difficult for affected families to comply with isolation measures, thereby increasing the risk of further transmission. Sustained funding and coordinated international support remain critical to containing the outbreak and preventing a wider humanitarian crisis.
What’s Being Said
WFP Acting Executive Director, Carl Skau:
“Ebola feeds on delay, fear and hunger.”
He added:
“Stopping this outbreak requires all hands on deck and communities at the center. Food assistance is frontline Ebola containment.”
Skau further said:
“It helps families stay home, supports safe isolation, builds trust with communities and keeps health teams moving. We know what works; what we need now is the speed and resources to scale it before this outbreak outruns the response.”
What’s Next
The WFP is expected to intensify food assistance and emergency logistics operations in eastern DRC while seeking additional donor funding to support the humanitarian response. Health authorities and international partners will also continue efforts to contain the outbreak through surveillance, treatment, community engagement and public health interventions.
Bottom Line
As Ebola cases continue to rise in eastern DRC, the WFP warns that tackling hunger is essential to controlling the outbreak. Without urgent funding, worsening food insecurity could weaken containment efforts and deepen the humanitarian crisis affecting millions of vulnerable people.
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