The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has received 16,250 doses of the Ervebo Ebola vaccine as authorities intensify efforts to contain the country’s deadliest Ebola outbreak.
The shipment arrived in Kinshasa late Friday, with Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba confirming the delivery at the capital’s airport.
The latest outbreak, the DRC’s 17th, was officially declared on May 15, although health authorities believe the virus had been circulating for several weeks before the announcement.
The outbreak has spread across parts of northern and eastern DRC, where weak state presence, limited health infrastructure and the activities of armed groups have complicated efforts to respond to the disease.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday that a total of 70,000 doses of Ervebo would be made available to the DRC.
Of that number, 20,000 doses are earmarked for a clinical trial, while 50,000 will be administered to frontline and healthcare workers, according to the WHO.
The vaccine, developed by US pharmaceutical company Merck and manufactured in Germany, is approved for protection against the Zaire strain of Ebola. However, the current outbreak is being driven by the Bundibugyo strain.
WHO experts are still assessing whether Ervebo can protect humans against the Bundibugyo strain. Preliminary evidence, including findings from animal studies, suggests the vaccine may provide some level of protection.
Kamba said the vaccine had previously been deployed on a large scale, particularly during the 2018–2020 Ebola outbreak.
The current outbreak has already claimed 2,516 lives among 5,290 confirmed cases, according to the latest figures released by Congolese authorities.
UN senior Ebola coordinator Julien Harneis warned on Friday that the outbreak was “growing exponentially,” underscoring the urgency of the response.
Earlier this month, WHO vaccine experts recommended a large-scale human trial of Ervebo to determine whether it offers cross-protection against the Bundibugyo strain.
Meanwhile, researchers are developing vaccines specifically targeting the Bundibugyo strain. Two candidates are already undergoing clinical trials, including an mRNA-based vaccine being developed by US pharmaceutical company Moderna and another developed by the University of Oxford in Britain.
A separate “rVSV Bundibugyo” vaccine, which the WHO has described as the most promising candidate, is also being developed by Singapore-based Hilleman Laboratories.
Ebola is a highly infectious viral disease transmitted through contact with infected bodily fluids. It can cause severe fever and other complications and has killed more than 15,000 people across Africa over the past five decades.
