The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has begun rolling out Ebola vaccinations, prioritizing health workers and those on the front lines of the outbreak response. However, the vaccine being distributed this week is licensed for a different Ebola strain, and its effectiveness against the Bundibugyo strain has not yet been established.
According to Congo's Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba, no vaccine or treatment has been approved for this new strain, and clinical trials are underway to find a vaccine suitable for Bundibugyo. The first doses were administered to health workers in the city of Kisangani.
Kamba stated that more than 50,000 vaccine doses have been received. The outbreak is currently concentrated in Ituri province, which borders Uganda. He said: “We will cover all provinces surrounding Ituri, moving in a circle toward the epicenter of the outbreak.”
The World Health Organization (WHO) last week announced it had approved 70,000 doses of the Ervebo vaccine for use in the DRC. Of the approximately 20,000 doses allocated to the country, a portion will be used in clinical trials to test effectiveness against the new strain. Health workers are calling for additional vaccine doses.
As of Tuesday, according to government figures, the DRC has recorded 5,713 confirmed Ebola cases, including 2,744 deaths. This is the deadliest Ebola outbreak ever in the country, spreading under extremely difficult conditions due to security instability, displacement, health worker strikes, and significant population movement.
The WHO assesses that the outbreak remains out of control and risks surpassing the West African Ebola outbreak of 2014-2016, the deadliest in history with more than 11,000 deaths, primarily in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.
