Congo Gets 70,000 Ebola Vaccine Doses As Fastest-Ever Outbreak Raises Alarm

Congo is set to receive 70,000 doses of the Ervebo Ebola vaccine as health authorities and international partners step up efforts to contain an outbreak that has been spreading at an unprecedented pace.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) and its partners announced the allocation on Thursday, calling it an important boost to the response in eastern Congo, where the outbreak has already caused thousands of infections and deaths.

However, the vaccination effort comes with a major uncertainty. Ervebo is licensed against Ebola virus, but the current outbreak is being caused by the Bundibugyo virus, for which the vaccine is not approved.

The WHO said it is not yet known whether Ervebo can protect against Bundibugyo. However, early laboratory and animal studies indicate that it could provide some protection, prompting health experts to use the vaccine while gathering evidence on its effectiveness.

Of the 70,000 doses, 20,000 will be used in a Phase 3 clinical trial to assess whether the vaccine can protect against the Bundibugyo virus. The remaining 50,000 doses will be administered to frontline and healthcare workers, following recommendations from WHO experts.

The outbreak has already claimed 2,476 lives among 5,208 confirmed cases, highlighting the scale of the crisis.

What has alarmed health officials most is the speed of transmission. The outbreak is spreading about three times faster than the 2014-2016 Ebola epidemic in West Africa, which remains the deadliest Ebola outbreak on record, killing more than 11,000 people.

The response is further complicated by the absence of approved vaccines or treatments for Bundibugyo virus. Health workers are also struggling with surveillance, as many newly reported infections are being detected outside groups already being monitored.

This suggests the virus has moved beyond established transmission chains, making contact tracing and containment increasingly difficult.

The arrival of Ervebo therefore represents both an emergency intervention and a scientific test, as researchers race to determine whether an existing vaccine can help slow Congo's rapidly expanding outbreak.