DR Congo Gets 70,000 Ebola Vaccines as Outbreak Death Toll Rises

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is set to receive 70,000 doses of the Ervebo Ebola vaccine from the UN-backed International Coordinating Group (ICG). 20,000 doses are reserved for a clinical trial and 50,000 for frontline health workers. The allocation comes as the country battles its deadliest Ebola outbreak on record.

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5,021 cases and 2,325 deaths have been reported so far. However, WHO cautions that it remains unknown whether Ervebo protects against the Bundibugyo strain driving the current outbreak. Early laboratory and animal data suggest it may offer some protection.

The response is further complicated by conflict in eastern DR Congo, which has restricted access to affected communities and hampered contact tracing and safe burials. More than 160 health workers have contracted Ebola, and 40 have died.