The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has received 16,250 doses of the Ervebo Ebola vaccine as authorities and health experts battle the country’s deadliest-ever Ebola outbreak.
The vaccines arrived in the capital, Kinshasa, on Friday night. They are the first batch of 70,000 doses pledged by the World Health Organization (WHO) and its partners, with additional supplies expected next week.
The vaccine is approved for the Zaire strain of Ebola, but the current outbreak in the DRC is being caused by the Bundibugyo strain, for which there is currently no approved vaccine or treatment. However, early animal studies suggest that Ervebo could provide some protection against the strain.
DRC Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba said the vaccine had previously been used extensively, including during the country’s 2018–2020 Ebola outbreak.
Of the 70,000 doses allocated to the DRC, 20,000 will be used in a late-stage clinical trial to determine how effective Ervebo is against the Bundibugyo strain. The remaining doses will be given to frontline and healthcare workers.
The outbreak has so far killed more than 2,500 people out of nearly 5,300 confirmed cases. The United Nations has warned that infections are continuing to spread exponentially.
Health authorities declared the outbreak in May, although experts believe transmission began several weeks earlier. Data from the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that the outbreak has not yet reached its peak and could potentially expand to three times its current known rate.
Efforts to contain the virus have been hampered by armed conflict, delays in detecting cases and inadequate healthcare infrastructure in eastern DRC.
Health experts say rapid vaccination, improved surveillance and stronger medical support will be crucial to slowing the spread of the deadly virus.
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