DR Congo receives 70,000 Ervebo doses

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is receiving 70,000 doses of the RVSV-ZEBOV vaccine Ebola vaccine to combat the ongoing Bundibugyo virus outbreak, which has been described as the fastest-spreading Ebola outbreak in history. The World Health Organization and its partners announced the allocation on August 20, 2026. Of the doses, 20,000 will be used for a Phase 3 clinical trial to assess the vaccine's effectiveness against the Bundibugyo strain, while 50,000 will be administered to frontline and health workers. RVSV-ZEBOV vaccine is licensed for the Zaire strain but not for Bundibugyo, though early laboratory and animal data suggest it may offer some protection. The outbreak, declared on May 15, has killed over 2,300 people out of more than 5,000 confirmed cases, with a case fatality rate of 47.5%. The vaccine release follows a request from the DRC government and approval by the International Coordinating Group on Vaccine Provision, which includes WHO, UNICEF, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and Médecins Sans Frontières, with funding from GAVI. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called the approval 'an important example of global solidarity in action.'