Congo to receive 70,000 doses of Ervebo Ebola vaccine, which was effective in past outbreaks

The Democratic Republic of Congo is set to receive 70,000 doses of the Ervebo Ebola vaccine, a move hailed as a significant boost in the fight against what officials describe as the fastest Ebola outbreak in history. The World Health Organization and its partners announced the allocation on Thursday.

The current outbreak, driven by the Bundibugyo virus, has proven particularly devastating, infecting 5,208 people and causing 2,476 deaths. The speed and scale of this outbreak surpass previous ones, spreading approximately three times faster than the 2014-2016 West Africa outbreak, which was the deadliest on record. The case fatality rate stands at 47.5%, reaching as high as 70% in challenging areas like North Kivu province.

A critical challenge has been the lack of approved vaccines or treatments specifically for the Bundibugyo virus. While Ervebo is licensed for a different Ebola virus, preliminary laboratory and animal data indicate it might provide some level of protection against the current strain. Of the allocated doses, 20,000 will be used for a Phase 3 clinical trial to assess Ervebo's impact on the Bundibugyo virus, while the remaining 50,000 will be administered to frontline health workers as recommended by WHO experts.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus described the vaccine approval as "an important example of global solidarity in action." The International Coordinating Group on Vaccine Provision, comprising WHO and other partners, confirmed the doses would be released immediately following a request from the Congolese government. Efforts are ongoing to strengthen surveillance, rapid detection, care, community engagement, and vaccination to bring the outbreak under control.

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an important example of global solidarity in action.