DRC set to receive 70,000 Ebola vaccines, not approved for current strain, WHO says

The WHO has allocated 70,000 doses of Merck's Ervebo Ebola vaccine to the DRC amid its largest-ever Ebola outbreak. The vaccine is approved for the Zaire strain, but its effect on the current Bundibugyo strain is unknown; 20,000 doses will be used in a late-stage trial. The outbreak has over 5,000 confirmed cases and 2,378 deaths. The WHO Director-General stated the outbreak remains a global emergency.

The World Health Organization has allocated 70,000 doses of Merck's Ervebo Ebola vaccine to the Democratic Republic of Congo, as the country battles its largest-ever Ebola outbreak. The DRC had requested a release of Ervebo vaccines from the global stockpile last week. The Ervebo vaccine is approved to prevent disease caused by the most common Ebola strain, Ebola Zaire, but its effect on the current Bundibugyo strain in humans is still unknown. Out of the 70,000 doses, 20,000 will be used in a late-stage trial to study the vaccine's impact on the Bundibugyo strain. The outbreak has now surpassed the previous worst epidemic from 2018 to 2020, with over 5,000 confirmed cases and 2,378 deaths, according to government data. WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus stated earlier this week that the outbreak remains a global emergency.

DRC set to receive 70,000 Ebola vaccines, not approved for current strain, WHO says