The Democratic Republic of Congo has received 70,000 doses of the Ervebo vaccine as health authorities race to contain the country’s deadliest Ebola outbreak, which has killed 2,476 people out of 5,208 confirmed cases across six provinces.
The outbreak, caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus, has recorded a case fatality rate of 47.5%, meaning nearly half of those confirmed to have the disease have died. The fast-moving outbreak has continued to put pressure on health authorities as they work to detect new cases, trace contacts and provide care.
Of the 70,000 vaccine doses released to the DRC, 20,000 will be used in a Phase 3 clinical trial to establish whether Ervebo can protect people against Bundibugyo virus disease. The other 50,000 doses will be given to frontline health workers who are at high risk of exposure while responding to the outbreak.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus welcomed the vaccine allocation, describing it as an important step in the response.
“I welcome the decision by the International Coordinating Group on Vaccine Provision to release an initial 70,000 doses of the Ervebo vaccine to the Democratic Republic of the Congo,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.
“20,000 doses will support a Phase 3 clinical trial to better understand the vaccine's impact on Bundibugyo virus disease, while 50,000 doses will be used for frontline workers,” he added.
Ervebo is already licensed to protect against Ebola caused by the Zaire ebolavirus. However, its ability to prevent illness caused by the Bundibugyo strain has not been established.
“It is not known whether Ervebo may be protective against the Bundibugyo virus in humans,” WHO said, although early laboratory and animal studies suggest it could provide some protection.
The Ebola outbreak was confirmed in the DRC on May 15, 2026, after laboratory tests detected the Bundibugyo virus in patients in Ituri Province. The virus belongs to a different Ebola species and currently has no approved vaccine or specific treatment.
Since the first cases were identified, the outbreak has spread beyond Ituri to five other provinces — North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uélé, Tshopo and Bas-Uélé.
WHO has described the crisis as the largest Ebola outbreak ever recorded in the DRC, warning that transmission remains intense as authorities struggle to slow the spread.
The response has also been made harder by weak health infrastructure, insecurity and movement of people between areas. Difficulties in identifying cases early and tracing people who have come into contact with infected patients have added to the challenge of containing the virus.
WHO said the release of the vaccine doses demonstrated “global solidarity in action” and said it would continue working with Africa CDC, national authorities and other partners to strengthen surveillance, speed up the detection of cases, improve care, engage communities and support vaccination efforts.
The current outbreak has now overtaken the 2018-2020 Ebola epidemic in the DRC, which had previously been the largest outbreak recorded in the country.