Congo receives 16,000 Ebola vaccine doses as outbreak accelerates
Congo received 16,250 Ebola vaccine doses as it battles its fastest-ever outbreak, caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus.
The Democratic Republic of Congo has taken delivery of more than 16,000 doses of the Ervebo Ebola vaccine, the country's health minister confirmed, as authorities struggle to contain what is now the fastest-spreading Ebola outbreak in history.
The shipment of 16,250 doses landed at N'djili International Airport in Kinshasa late Friday. It forms the first tranche of a larger consignment of 70,000 doses pledged by the World Health Organization and its partners, with additional deliveries expected early next week.
The current epidemic is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the virus, a rare variant for which no approved vaccine or treatment exists. The disease spreads easily and can go unnoticed because its early symptoms resemble those of other common illnesses such as malaria. While Ervebo is licensed for other Ebola strains and has proven effective in past outbreaks, the WHO has indicated it may offer some cross-protection against Bundibugyo.
As of Friday, the outbreak had recorded 2,516 deaths from 5,290 confirmed cases. Transmission rates are accelerating at an unprecedented pace, and data from the Africa Centre for Disease Control suggests the epidemic has not yet peaked, with case numbers potentially tripling from current levels. The outbreak is on track to surpass the deadliest on record, which killed more than 11,000 people across West Africa between 2014 and 2016.
Containment efforts face severe obstacles, including ongoing armed conflict between government forces and rebel groups that control key cities in the affected region. Medical personnel and facilities have been attacked, while a mobile labour force and large numbers of people displaced by fighting complicate tracking and vaccination campaigns. Critical infrastructure in the area remains inadequate, further hampering the response.