A 70,000-dose shipment of the Ervebo Ebola vaccine is headed to the Democratic Republic of the Congo as the country confronts its deadliest Ebola outbreak on record. The UN-backed International Coordinating Group (ICG) has allocated 20,000 doses for a clinical trial and the remaining 50,000 for frontline health workers.
The outbreak has so far produced 5,021 reported cases and 2,325 deaths. The World Health Organization, however, cautions that it is not yet known whether Ervebo protects against the Bundibugyo strain responsible for the current crisis. Initial laboratory and animal studies indicate the vaccine could provide some protection.
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Fighting in eastern DR Congo is adding to the response challenges, limiting access to affected communities and disrupting contact tracing and safe burials. Ebola has infected more than 160 health workers, 40 of whom have died.
