DRC Ebola Outbreak Reaches Record Cases with Vaccine Aid

The World Health Organization and partners announced that the Democratic Republic of the Congo will receive 70,000 doses of Merck’s Ervebo Ebola vaccine to help combat the country’s fastest-spreading and deadliest outbreak to date. Ervebo is approved for the Zaire strain, but the current outbreak is caused by Bundibugyo, and while early data suggest some protection, efficacy against Bundibugyo remains unproven. Of the 70,000 doses, 20,000 will support a Phase 3 trial to assess protection against Bundibugyo, with the remaining 50,000 allocated to frontline health workers. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus described the allocation as a clear example of global solidarity and reaffirmed commitments to surveillance, rapid detection, and vaccination efforts. The outbreak has surpassed 5,000 confirmed cases and more than 2,300 deaths across six eastern provinces, making it the deadliest Ebola outbreak in DRC history and spreading much faster than the 2014-2016 West Africa epidemic. The distribution was facilitated by the International Coordinating Group on Vaccine Provision and involves partners such as MSF, the Red Cross, and UNICEF.