Congo to Receive 70,000 Doses of Ervebo Ebola Vaccine

The Democratic Republic of Congo is set to receive 70,000 doses of the Ervebo vaccine, a tool utilized in previous Ebola outbreaks, as part of a concerted effort to curb the current epidemic. The World Health Organization (WHO) announced the impending delivery, characterizing it as a crucial step in containing what officials have described as the fastest Ebola outbreak recorded.

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The allocation includes 20,000 doses for a Phase 3 clinical trial to understand the impact of the vaccine on the Bundibugyo virus, the agency said.

This allocation includes 20,000 doses designated for a Phase 3 clinical trial aimed at assessing Ervebo's efficacy against the Bundibugyo virus, the strain driving the current outbreak. The remaining 50,000 doses will be prioritized for front-line health workers, following recommendations from WHO experts. The current outbreak, affecting six eastern provinces, has spread with unprecedented speed, infecting and claiming lives at a rate significantly faster than the devastating 2014-2016 West Africa outbreak.

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The remaining 50,000 doses will be used for front-line and health workers as recommended by WHO experts.

While Ervebo is licensed for a specific Ebola virus, its effectiveness against the Bundibugyo virus remains under investigation. However, preliminary laboratory and animal data indicate that it may provide a degree of protection. The WHO Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, hailed the vaccine approval as a powerful demonstration of global solidarity and reaffirmed the agency's commitment to supporting surveillance, rapid detection, care, community engagement, and vaccination initiatives.

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The outbreak raging in six provinces in eastern Congo has infected and killed more people at a greater speed than any other Ebola outbreak in history, and is spreading about three times faster compared to the 2014-2016 outbreak across West Africa, the deadliest Ebola outbreak on record with more than 11,000 deaths.

The lack of specifically approved vaccines or treatments for the Bundibugyo virus has posed a significant challenge for responders. A key concern is that most new cases are emerging outside of monitored populations, indicating the virus is outpacing tracking efforts. This rapid spread has contributed significantly to the high death toll, with a case fatality rate of 47.5 percent overall, and even higher in more challenging areas like North Kivu province.

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WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called the approval “an important example of global solidarity in action.”