DRC receives 1st batch of Ebola vaccine doses as outbreak kills over 2,500

What the report says

The Democratic Republic of the Congo has received its first shipment of Ebola vaccine doses as authorities and international health agencies try to slow an outbreak that has infected more than 5,000 people and killed over 2,500. According to The Independent Uganda’s report, 16,520 doses of the Ervebo vaccine arrived at N’djili International Airport in Kinshasa, with additional deliveries expected over the following days.

The DRC health ministry said 50,120 more doses were due to arrive between Aug. 21 and 24. The World Health Organization and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said an international vaccine coordination group had approved an immediate release of 70,000 doses after a request from the Congolese government. The report said 20,000 doses would be used in a Phase 3 clinical trial, while 50,000 were earmarked for frontline and health workers.

Ervebo is designed for outbreaks caused by Zaire ebolavirus, while the current outbreak is linked to Bundibugyo virus, so its direct effectiveness in this emergency remains uncertain. The vaccine rollout comes as transmission continues across the country.

The government’s latest situation report, cited by the article, put the outbreak at 5,290 confirmed cases and 2,516 deaths as of Aug. 19. The outbreak was first declared on May 15 and is now described in the report as the country’s largest and deadliest Ebola epidemic on record.