By Brian Kiprono - Reporter
Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) June 30, 2026 - The latest Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) could leave nearly one million more people living in poverty, with the economic fallout expected to outlast the health emergency, a new United Nations report has warned.
The assessment by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) says the outbreak is rapidly becoming a development crisis, threatening jobs, trade, healthcare and education across Central and East Africa.
According to the report, 985,000 additional people could fall into poverty, while the DRC risks losing more than US$1 billion (about Sh129.5 billion) in economic output and around 55,000 jobs, even if the virus is successfully contained.
Across Africa, disruptions to trade, transport and business could reduce the continent's economic output by US$2.37 billion, with losses rising to US$3.6 billion if the outbreak spreads further or triggers wider regional shocks.
UN Assistant Secretary-General and UNDP Regional Director for Africa Ahunna Eziakonwa said the crisis extends far beyond hospitals and treatment centres.
"Ebola does not stop at the hospital gate. 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," she said.
The report warns that measures introduced to contain the outbreak, including border restrictions, quarantines and disruptions to transport and trade, are having severe consequences for families that rely on informal businesses and daily income.
Poor households are expected to be hardest hit, with the poorest 20 per cent projected to experience a significant decline in daily consumption, reversing years of progress in reducing poverty.
Women are expected to bear the greatest burden because many depend on informal cross-border trade for their livelihoods while also serving as frontline healthcare workers and primary caregivers at home.
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The assessment also warns of a secondary health crisis as medical resources are redirected to fight Ebola.
According to UNDP, disruptions to routine healthcare services could result in up to 2,520 additional infant deaths in the DRC from causes unrelated to the virus.
The report calls on governments and development partners to go beyond emergency disease control by protecting livelihoods and essential public services alongside the Ebola response.
Among its recommendations are direct cash transfers for vulnerable households, continued funding for maternal and child healthcare, and replacing blanket border closures with targeted health screening to allow safe cross-border trade.
UNDP says such measures would help contain the virus without deepening poverty among communities already struggling with economic hardship.
The report follows the World Health Organization's declaration of the outbreak as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. The current outbreak is centred in eastern DRC and is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, for which there is currently no licensed vaccine or approved treatment.