As Ebola spreads in Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) warns food assistance is vital to containing the outbreak

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The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is scaling up food assistance, logistics and telecommunications support in eastern DRC, where Ebola is spreading through communities already hit by conflict, displacement and severe hunger.

The outbreak is unfolding in one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises. Without urgent support, rising hunger, insecurity and population movement could make it harder for families to comply with recommended health measures, increasing the risk of further transmission.

Here are the latest updates on food security and WFP operations in eastern DRC and the region:

Health and Food Security Situation in eastern DRC:

• Ebola cases continue to be reported in Ituri and northern North Kivu, requiring sustained containment measures to prevent further spread within and beyond the affected provinces.
• The virus now affects 34 health zones across Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu.
• Thirty of those zones are already facing crisis levels of hunger or worse (IPC Phase 3+), including seven facing emergency levels of hunger (IPC Phase 4).
• More than 10 million people across eastern DRC are food insecure, leaving many families with limited ability to absorb another shock.

WFP Operational Food Response:

• WFP is supporting more than 1.2 million people with food assistance, nutrition support, logistics, telecommunications and air services that help keep the health response moving.
• More than 36,000 hot meals have reached over 1,600 patients, caregivers and contacts across 14 treatment and isolation centres since 28 May.
• Take-home rations have supported more than 2,600 people in North Kivu and Ituri.
• Monthly food assistance is reaching 14,000 people in ten quarantined villages in South Kivu.
• WFP is currently supporting nutrition activities in seven affected health zones. However, gaps in nutrition screening, and weak triage systems, are limiting targeted interventions.

WFP Logistics and Supply Chain Operations:

• WFP is providing the logistics backbone of the Ebola response, helping health and humanitarian partners reach affected communities quickly and safely.
• The WFP-managed United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) has conducted 268 flights, transported more than 1,750 humanitarian responders and delivered 36 metric tons of critical cargo to frontline areas.
• UNHAS operates daily flights linking Kinshasa, Bunia, Beni and other priority outbreak locations.
• WFP-chartered aircraft have moved nearly 154 metric tons of medical supplies, PPE, laboratory equipment and other life-saving cargo to Ebola-affected areas.
• A dedicated helicopter facilitates access to Ebola hotspots such as Mongbwalu and Nyakunde.
• A Hercules C-130 aircraft has transported vital cargo from Uganda to Bunia, with more than 150 mt of essential supplies moved to date.
• Three Epishuttle isolation units have been prepositioned in Bunia, to evacuate confirmed cases safely, with MEDEVAC training coordinated alongside partners.
• WFP and partners are expanding access to newly affected areas, including Butembo, Bambu, Kilo, Nizi, Tchomia and Kasenyi, where severe hunger and displacement are already widespread.

Challenges and Funding Requirements

• Insecurity and access constraints remain major obstacles, with affected health zones close to conflict frontlines and communities forced to move in search of food and safety.
• WFP urgently requires USD 72 million over the next six months to sustain food assistance, UNHAS and logistics operations for the Ebola response.
• Across DRC, WFP needs USD 286 million over the next six months to keep vital food assistance moving.

• WFP is deeply concerned for vulnerable people trapped in inaccessible areas, where hunger and malnutrition are likely to worsen as the lean season approaches.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of World Food Programme (WFP).