DR Congo receives 70,000 Ebola vaccine doses as Bundibugyo outbreak spreads

The Ervebo vaccine was initially developed to target the Zaire ebolavirus, which caused the 2014-2016 West African epidemic — the deadliest Ebola outbreak on record.

The shipment is going ahead following approval from the ICG after the Government in Kinshasa requested doses from the global Ebola vaccine stockpile last week.

In a Thursday press release, the World Health Organization (WHO) welcomed the allocation but stressed that it remains unknown whether the Ervebo vaccine will work against the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola.

“Early laboratory and animal data suggest it may provide some protection,” WHO wrote. “Thus, the clinical trial is expected to provide important new evidence, which is essential for policymakers to inform future use of the Ervebo vaccine.”

However, given the fast-growing nature of the Ebola Bundibugyo virus outbreak, the ICG will allocate 20,000 doses for a clinical trial in the DRC and the other 50,000 doses to health workers.

This means some residents of areas affected by the outbreak could receive the vaccine outside the trial, although severe side effects from the Ervebo vaccine are very rare, according to clinical trials.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus welcomed the release on Thursday, calling the move “an important example of global solidarity in action.”

Earlier this week, the Ebola outbreak, declared 15 May, became the country’s deadliest on record with 2,325 deaths.

Although local authorities haven’t updated the figure since Monday, the total number of cases climbed to 5,021 according to data released on Wednesday.

More than 160 health workers have contracted Ebola and 40 have died, UN Senior Ebola Coordinator Julien Harneis wrote on Thursday.

The ongoing conflict in eastern DRC between the Congolese Government and the Rwanda-backed M23 armed group – along with multiple other armed groups – has hindered efforts to stop the virus’s spread by blocking medical teams from reaching conflict zones, forcing the destruction or closure of health centres and displacing thousands, making contact-tracing and safe burials nearly impossible.

According to news reports, the M23 armed group has touted its ability to mount an Ebola response separate from Kinshasa, including by setting up its own health administration that supervise labs and – the group claims – conduct disease surveillance.

On Thursday, M23 reportedly announced that it will suspend shared taxi and boat trips to and from Ebola-affected Government-held zones to prevent the spread of Ebola in territory the group controls.

The UN has sanctioned and strongly condemned the M23 militia, which has committed atrocities against civilians including forced recruitment, mass killings and sexual violence, according to “numerous reports, investigations and testimonies.”

The ICG manages and coordinates the provision of emergency vaccine supplies and antibiotics to countries during major outbreaks. It allocated 56,000 Ervebo vaccine doses to respond to multiple Ebola outbreaks in the DRC between 2021 and July 2026.

In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Mr. Harneis applauded the allocation announced by the ICG on Thursday.

“This allocation of vaccines gives hope for everyone in the affected areas and in particular for frontline health workers,” Mr. Harneis wrote.