Ebola Outbreak in DR Congo Could Push a Million People Into Poverty

A dangerous Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) could push nearly one million people into poverty, the United Nations has warned. The outbreak started on May 15 and has already caused more than 1,300 infections and over 370 deaths. It is spreading through eastern parts of the country and has reached neighboring Uganda. The UN says this is not just a health crisis — it is also causing serious economic harm to families and communities across Africa.

The UN Development Programme, known as the UNDP, released a new report studying the outbreak's economic impact. It found that as many as 985,000 people could be forced into poverty because of the crisis. Women are being hit especially hard because many of them work in small, informal markets or as health workers on the front lines of the outbreak. These jobs and income sources are disappearing fast.

The UNDP says the outbreak is causing people to lose jobs, earn less money, and struggle to buy food and supplies. Areas near national borders are suffering the most because they depend on trade between countries. In a worst-case situation, the total economic damage across Africa could reach $3.6 billion. Hundreds of thousands of jobs could also be lost.

Stopping the virus has been difficult for several reasons. The DRC is one of the poorest countries in the world and does not have a strong health system. False information about the disease has made it harder to contain. Cuts to international aid — including money that used to come from the United States — have also weakened the response. Noemi Dalmonte, a United Nations official working in the DRC, said the country's health system was 'very dependent on international aid,' which made an outbreak much easier to start.

The outbreak is centered in three eastern provinces: Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu. Health officials are now worried it could spread to two more provinces — Tshopo and Haut-Uele. Haut-Uele shares a border with South Sudan, which raises fears about the virus crossing into another country. Scientists writing in a medical journal called The Lancet warned last week that the virus could reach South Sudan within weeks.

In Tshopo province, health workers are tracking people who may have come into contact with a pregnant woman who died of Ebola. In Haut-Uele, new cases are linked to a confirmed patient from Ituri. The DRC government is working hard to trace everyone who may have been exposed to keep the virus from spreading further.

This outbreak involves a type of Ebola called the Bundibugyo strain. This strain is especially concerning because there is no approved vaccine or treatment for it. To slow the spread, the DRC government has banned large public gatherings in the capital city, Kinshasa, and three other provinces. Health experts say the risk of the outbreak growing — both inside the DRC and in nearby countries — is very real.