NAIROBI, Kenya Jul 1 – The ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) could push nearly one million more people into extreme poverty, eliminate thousands of jobs and reverse years of development gains unless countries respond with measures that go beyond containing the virus, according to a new United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) assessment.

📻 Breaking It Down

The report, Rapid Socioeconomic Assessment of the Ebola Outbreak in the DRC, released on Tuesday, states that the outbreak has evolved beyond a public health emergency into a broader development challenge affecting livelihoods, education, food security and regional trade.

“This 17th Ebola virus disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo signals a complex development emergency in the sub-region, one that cannot be addressed by exclusively focusing on the health sector,” the report says. “It requires a concerted, coordinated and sustained effort to address the multifaceted challenges the region now faces.”

UNDP estimates that 985,000 people could fall into extreme poverty in the DRC as quarantines, transport disruptions and restrictions on cross-border trade reduce household incomes and disrupt informal markets on which millions rely for survival.

📌 What You Need to Know

The assessment describes the outbreak as “a highly regressive poverty shock,” warning that its economic impact falls disproportionately on poorer households with limited financial buffers.

“Ebola does not stop at the hospital gate,” said Ahunna Eziakonwa, United Nations Assistant Secretary-General and UNDP Regional Director for Africa. “It affects livelihoods, education, food security, trade, public finances and trust. If we treat this Ebola outbreak solely as a health challenge, we risk missing the much larger development emergency unfolding around it.”

The assessment comes as the DRC battles its 17th Ebola outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo strain, for which there is currently no licensed vaccine. As of June 30, the outbreak had reached 1,274 confirmed cases in the DRC, including 360 deaths. Neighboring Uganda has reported 20 confirmed cases and two deaths.

Unlike previous outbreaks, the report says the epidemic is unfolding in one of Africa’s most fragile regions, where armed conflict, mass displacement and extensive cross-border trade make disease control significantly more difficult while magnifying the economic consequences of movement restrictions.

“The outbreak is highly concentrated in the DRC’s northeastern Ituri Province,” the report says, noting that the region is also grappling with armed conflict involving more than 260 armed groups and millions of internally displaced people—conditions that undermine disease surveillance and community trust.

Even if transmission remains largely contained within the DRC and Uganda, the report projects that the DRC’s economy could lose more than $1 billion in output and around 55,000 jobs.

📰 Source: Capital FM Kenya