DR Congo Receives 70,000 Ebola Vaccine Doses as Bundibugyo Outbreak Spreads
Mohammad Ali (@ChaudhryMAli88) | August 20, 2026 | 09:00 PM
GENEVA (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM – 20th Aug, 2026) The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is set to receive 70,000 doses of the Ervebo vaccine from the UN’s international vaccine coordination group (ICG) to safeguard frontline communities against Ebola virus disease.
The Ervebo vaccine was initially designed to combat the Zaire ebolavirus responsible for the devastating 2014-2016 West African outbreak—the deadliest on record.
This shipment follows the DRC government’s request for doses from the global Ebola vaccine stockpile made last week.
In a Thursday press release, the World Health Organisation (WHO) expressed optimism about the allocation but noted that it remains unclear if Ervebo will be effective against the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola. They stated:
“Early laboratory and animal data suggest [it] may provide some protection… Thus, the clinical trial is expected to provide important new evidence, which is essential for policymakers to inform future use of the Ervebo vaccine.”
However, due to the rapid spread of the Bundibugyo Ebola virus, the ICG will allocate 20,000 doses for a clinical trial in the DRC and 50,000 doses to healthcare workers. This could mean that some residents in affected areas might receive the vaccine outside of the trial, though severe side effects from Ervebo are extremely rare according to clinical trials.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus welcomed the development on Thursday, describing it as “an important example of global solidarity in action.”
The current Ebola outbreak, declared on May 15, has already claimed 2,325 lives, making it the country’s deadliest on record. As of Wednesday, the total number of cases stood at 5,021.
