WFP scales up emergency Ebola response in eastern DRC to contain risk of regional crisis

The risk of the disease spreading further is exacerbated by persistent insecurity, displacement, and cross-border movement. This Ebola outbreak is hitting communities already under extreme strain: 26.5 million people across DRC face acute food insecurity, including nearly 10 million in crisis or emergency levels in the east.

“This outbreak is a race against time,” said David Stevenson, WFP Country Director in the DRC. “Without rapid, coordinated action at scale, a health crisis could quickly turn the existing food insecurity and health crisis into an uncontrollable humanitarian emergency in eastern DRC and beyond.”

As a critical enabler, the WFP-managed UN Humanitarian Air Service ensures that life‑saving assistance reaches communities affected by Ebola, even in the most remote areas. WFP has already helped transport hundreds of first responders and humanitarians and dozens of metric tons of critical medical cargo into frontline areas. Bunia remains the central logistics hub, with more than 46 metric tons of cargo received to date and essential supplies dispatched to at least 14 locations to support Ebola response efforts.

Additional operations and vital assistance to the most vulnerable in the outbreak zone are also ramping up quickly, including:

• More aircraft to reach remote and restricted areas.
• New flights between Kinshasa and Bunia – now three times per week.
• Extra trucks and storage, such as Mobile Storage Units (MSUs) to handle rising volumes of critical equipment and aid.
• Restoration of access to priority areas such as Mongbwalu, where helipad repairs will enable vital air operations soon.
• Surge aviation staff to manage and coordinate air activities and transport across response teams.
• Expanded medical surveillance for aid workers at WFP’s Bunia health clinic to support early detection and prevention of Ebola cases, in close coordination with national health authorities.

WFP is also scaling up emergency food and nutrition assistance for over 146,000 people in Ituri Province and communities affected by the Ebola outbreak. This includes patients, people who experienced isolated contact, affected households and other vulnerable groups, so families can comply with health measures without losing access to food. When families do not have enough food, they are more likely to delay treatment, move in search of income, or break isolation measures to survive.

“Containing Ebola requires more than treatment alone,” Stevenson added. “It requires food, access, transport and logistics so frontline teams can move fast and affected families can safely follow public health measures.”

WFP is already delivering life-saving assistance at scale across Ituri through its wider operations, reaching more than 241,000 people in the first quarter of 2026, including more than 44,000 children under two and pregnant and breastfeeding women and girls with nutrition support.

“The window to contain this outbreak is narrow,” Stevenson said. “The response must move now and at scale - across health, logistics and food assistance - to prevent far wider consequences for DRC and the region.”

WFP urgently requires nearly USD 175 million for the next six months to continue its life-saving operations in eastern DRC, and USD 23 million to scale up logistics and emergency food assistance for over 146,000 people in Ituri Province and communities affected by the Ebola outbreak over the next three months.

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The United Nations World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.

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