More than 16,000 doses of Ervebo vaccine arrive in Ebola-hit DRC
The Democratic Republic of Congo has received over 16,000 doses of the Ervebo vaccine to combat its deadliest Ebola outbreak on record. While the vaccine is approved for the Zaire strain, health officials are conducting trials to determine its efficacy against the currently circulating Bundibugyo strain.
Why it matters
The rapid spread of the virus in regions with limited infrastructure poses a significant public health crisis that requires international medical intervention.
More than 16,000 doses of the Ervebo vaccine arrived in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) late Friday (August 21, 2026), an AFP journalist saw, as the country faces its deadliest Ebola outbreak in history.
The DRC's 17th Ebola outbreak, which has killed thousands of people, was declared on May 15 but is thought to have been spreading for several weeks prior.
It has hit regions in the north and east where the presence of the state is weak, health infrastructure is largely lacking and myriad armed groups have roamed for decades.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) announced on Thursday (August 20) that the DRC would receive 70,000 doses of the Ervebo vaccine, produced in Germany.
The vaccine, developed by the pharmaceutical company Merck, is approved against the Zaire strain of the virus, but not against the Bundibugyo strain currently circulating in the country.
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