Marburg virus disease (MVD) and Ebola disease (EBOD) are severe, often fatal illnesses caused by viruses from the Filoviridae family. Both diseases are zoonotic, with fruit bats believed to be their natural hosts, and they are transmitted to humans through contact with infected animals or bodily fluids of infected individuals. The symptoms of MVD and EBOD are similar, including sudden onset of fever, fatigue, muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhea, and in many cases, internal and external bleeding. These diseases have high case fatality rates and have caused several outbreaks. There are currently no specific treatments, but supportive care and experimental vaccines and therapies have shown promise in reducing mortality.
Ebola disease (EBOD) is caused by viruses that belong to the Orthoebolavirus genus of the filoviridae family. Six species of Orthoebolaviruses have been identified to date, with three known to cause large outbreaks:
1. Zaire ebolavirus (EBOV), causing Ebola virus disease (EVD)
2. Sudan ebolavirus (SUDV), causing Sudan virus disease (SVD)
3. Bundibugyo ebolavirus (BDBV), causing Bundibugyo virus disease (BVD). While there are licensed vaccines and therapeutics for Ebola virus disease, there is no approved vaccine or treatment for other Ebola diseases, such as SVD or BVD.
During outbreaks like MVD and EBOD, nutrition can quickly deteriorate—especially for vulnerable groups. Below are several ways we can help protect and support affected communities.
General Guidance
- Keep Nutrition Services Running – Ensure outpatient nutrition programs continue safely with trained staff and proper infection control. Adapt and maintain services such as breastfeeding support, treatment of wasting, and micronutrient supplementation, using infection prevention and control (IPC) measures to keep staff and beneficiaries safe. Use mobile teams to reach isolated areas.
- Promote and protect infant and young child feeding (IYCF) – Reinforce messaging on exclusive breastfeeding, safe complementary feeding, and discourage the use of breastmilk substitutes unless medically indicated, with strict adherence to safe preparation practices. Where breastfeeding isn’t possible, provide safe alternatives.
- Strengthen food security and social protection – Ensure vulnerable households have access to adequate, safe, and nutritious food, through food assistance, cash transfers, or vouchers, especially when movement restrictions or fear of infection limit market access or income. Support home gardens and local food production when and where possible.
- Integrate nutrition into outbreak response plans – Collaborate across health, WASH, and food security sectors to ensure nutrition is considered in surveillance, risk communication, and service delivery strategies.
- Train and equip frontline workers – Provide training on safe service delivery during outbreaks, and ensure availability of personal protective equipment (PPE) and IPC supplies. Train health workers to screen for malnutrition during case follow-ups. Include nutrition indicators in emergency response tracking.
- Monitor nutrition status and vulnerabilities – Use remote or adapted surveillance tools to track changes in nutritional status, food security, and service coverage, enabling timely course corrections.
- Engage and Inform Communities – Share clear messages about safe feeding, hygiene, and nutrition using trusted voices and local languages—via radio, SMS, or posters.
Nutrition-related and relevant resources
- WHO 2020 - Guidelines for the management of pregnant and breastfeeding women in the context of Ebola virus disease, available in English and French.
- GNC FAQ: series of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) available both in English and French on the provision of nutritional care for patients with Ebola Virus Disease in Ebola treatment units. These FAQs could be relevant to other infectious diseases with clinical syndromes similar to Ebola that are managed in isolation facilities, particularly diseases caused by other filovirus’ such as Marburg and Lassa.
- DRC case study (GNC, UNICEF, WVI, IMC, ENN) with focus on support for non-breastfed children in the context of Ebola available in English; there a resource on similar topic in French only here
- Template for a joint statement on infant feeding in the context of Marburg virus disease
- Supporting non-breastfed children as part of an Ebola Response: Experiences from the Democratic Republic of the Congo - Case Study
- 2026 Ebola Outbreak: Mobility and Health System Vulnerabilities in Eastern DRC and Bordering Areas - a comprehensive brief developed by REACH.
- Joint Statement Template on Infant and Young Child Feeding in BVD Contexts - Available in English & French.
- Bundibugyo Virus Disease (BVD) – Ebola Outbreak | Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC)
- Global WASH Cluster Ebola Resources Platform 2026
- IASC, Protocol for the Control of Infectious Disease Events. Humanitarian System-Wide Scale-Up Activation, 2019
- IASC, Humanitarian System-wide Scale-Up Activation Protocol for the Control of Infectious Disease Events, 2019
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