ArdorComm Media News Network
August 24, 2026
More than 16,000 doses of the Ervebo Ebola vaccine arrived in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on Friday, August 21, as the country battles its deadliest Ebola outbreak, according to an AFP journalist at the scene.
A total of 16,250 doses were delivered by plane to Kinshasa, forming part of the 70,000 Ervebo doses made available to the DRC by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Of the total allocation, 20,000 doses are earmarked for a clinical trial, while 50,000 will be administered to frontline and healthcare workers.
The DRC declared its 17th Ebola outbreak on May 15, although health officials believe the virus had been circulating for several weeks before the announcement. The outbreak has affected areas in the country’s north and east, where limited state presence, weak healthcare infrastructure and the presence of armed groups have complicated the response.
According to the latest figures from Congolese authorities, the outbreak has resulted in 5,290 confirmed cases and 2,516 deaths. Julien Harneis, the UN’s senior Ebola coordinator, warned on Friday that the outbreak was “growing exponentially”.
The Ervebo vaccine, developed by pharmaceutical company Merck, is approved for protection against the Zaire strain of Ebola but has not been approved for the Bundibugyo strain currently circulating in the DRC. WHO experts are yet to establish whether it can protect humans against the strain, although preliminary evidence, including animal studies, indicates that it may provide some level of protection.
DRC Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba said Ervebo had already been deployed during previous outbreaks, including extensively during the 2018-2020 Ebola epidemic.
WHO vaccine experts this month recommended conducting a large-scale human trial to determine whether Ervebo can provide cross-protection against the Bundibugyo strain. The trial is expected to provide crucial evidence as authorities seek to contain the rapidly expanding outbreak.
Researchers are also working on vaccines specifically designed to target the Bundibugyo strain. Moderna is developing an mRNA-based candidate, while another vaccine is being developed by the University of Oxford. Singapore-based Hilleman Laboratories is also set to develop an “rVSV Bundibugyo” vaccine, which WHO has described as the most promising candidate.
Ebola spreads primarily through contact with infected bodily fluids and can cause severe fever and other serious symptoms. The virus has killed more than 15,000 people across Africa over the past five decades.
Source: AFP