Congo to receive 70,000 doses of Ervebo Ebola vaccine which has been
effective in past outbreaks
[August 21, 2026]
BUNIA, Congo (AP) — Congo will receive 70,000 doses of the Ervebo
vaccine, which has been effective in past Ebola outbreaks, the World
Health Organization and partners said Thursday, announcing a step seen
as a major boost to efforts to contain what officials have described as
the fastest Ebola outbreak in history.
The Ervebo vaccine is licensed for use against Ebola virus, one of the
viruses that cause Ebola disease, but not for Bundibugyo virus, which is
responsible for the current outbreak which has so far killed 2,476
people out of the 5,208 confirmed cases
WHO said in a statement that while it’s not known whether Ervebo may
protect against the Bundibugyo virus, “early laboratory and animal data
suggest it may provide some protection.”
The allocation includes 20,000 doses for a Phase 3 clinical trial to
understand the impact of the vaccine on the Bundibugyo virus, the agency
said. The remaining 50,000 doses will be used for front-line and health
workers as recommended by WHO experts.
The outbreak raging in six provinces in eastern Congo has infected and
killed more people at a greater speed than any other Ebola outbreak in
history, and is spreading about three times faster compared to the
2014-2016 outbreak across West Africa — the deadliest Ebola outbreak on
record with more than 11,000 deaths.
The International Coordinating Group on Vaccine Provision, which
includes WHO and other partners, said the doses will be released
immediately following a request from Congo’s government.
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 WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom
Ghebreyesus called the approval “an important example of global
solidarity in action.” He said the agency and its partners remain
committed to supporting strengthened surveillance, rapid detection,
quality care, community engagement and vaccination efforts to bring
the outbreak under control.
The lack of approved vaccines or treatments for the
rare Bundibugyo virus has been a major issue for responders. Most
new cases have been reported outside of the people being monitored,
showing the virus continues to spread faster than efforts to track
it. That has been a key contributor to the recorded deaths.
The case fatality rate so far is 47.5% although it is far worse in
some places where response efforts are more challenging, such as in
North Kivu province where the fatality rate is up to 70%.
Experts believe the virus began spreading from the mining town of
Mongbwalu as early as February, months before authorities declared
the outbreak on May 15.
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