DR Congo receives first Ebola vaccine batch as outbreak toll crosses 2,500

The Democratic Republic of the Congo has received its first shipment of Ebola vaccines as it battles the largest outbreak in the country's history. A consignment of 16,520 Ervebo doses landed at N'djili International Airport in Kinshasa on Friday, with health authorities expecting a total of 50,120 doses to arrive between August 21 and 24.

Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba was present to receive the shipment and thanked international partners for their support. "We already had 2,000 doses that have been sent to Tshopo," he said, noting that the government has requested more than 400,000 doses in total. "We will indeed strengthen the response mechanism with these vaccines."

The World Health Organization and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention announced on Thursday that the International Coordinating Group on Vaccine Provision had approved an initial release of 70,000 doses following a formal request from the DRC government.

Kamba explained that the Ervebo vaccine, widely used during the 2018-2020 outbreak, would be deployed in two phases: a research phase involving 20,000 doses and a compassionate use phase involving 50,000 doses. The decision was made after consultations with scientists, he added.

However, the vaccine's effectiveness against the Bundibugyo virus — the strain responsible for the current outbreak — remains uncertain, as Ervebo is licensed specifically for outbreaks caused by the Zaire ebolavirus.

The DRC declared the outbreak on May 15. As of August 19, the government has recorded 5,290 confirmed cases and 2,516 deaths, a case fatality rate of 47.6 percent. The outbreak is now the country's largest and deadliest on record, and the second-largest globally.