Congo is facing its deadliest Ebola outbreak on record, with more than 5,000 confirmed cases and 2,378 deaths, as health authorities deploy thousands of vaccine doses to contain the spread.
The World Health Organization says 70,000 doses of Merck’s Ervebo vaccine have been allocated to the Democratic Republic of Congo from the global Ebola stockpile.
The allocation follows a request by Congo for emergency vaccine supplies as the outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, continues to grow.
Of the 70,000 doses, 20,000 will be used in a late-stage clinical trial to determine whether Ervebo can protect against the strain.
The WHO says Ervebo is approved against the Zaire ebolavirus, but there is currently no approved vaccine or treatment for the Bundibugyo virus. It said the trial will provide crucial evidence on whether Ervebo can offer protection against the strain in humans.
Congo’s 17th Ebola epidemic became the country’s largest by case count in late July, surpassing the 2018–2020 outbreak. WHO Director-General, Tedros Ghebreyesus, has described the situation in eastern Congo as a global emergency.
The vaccine stockpile is managed by the International Coordinating Group, a partnership involving the WHO, UNICEF, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and Médecins Sans Frontières.
