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The DRC's record-breaking Ebola crisis is getting a vaccine response. About 2,000 frontline workers have received Ervebo — a vaccine licensed for a different Ebola species — as the outbreak surpasses 6,700 cases and 3,269 deaths. A WHO-led phase 3 trial is set to launch in October or November to test whether Ervebo can protect against the rare Bundibugyo strain driving the crisis.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is racing to contain what has become the second-largest Ebola outbreak on record, with over 6,700 cases and 3,269 deaths — and it's spreading faster than any previous outbreak, hitting 1,000 cases in just 40 days. In response, WHO has begun vaccinating frontline health workers with Ervebo (Merck), a vaccine approved for a different Ebola species (Orthoebolavirus zairense), while a phase 3 trial is being planned to test whether it offers cross-protection against the rare Bundibugyo ebolavirus strain driving this outbreak.
The DRC holds a stockpile of ~70,000 Ervebo doses: 50,000 earmarked for frontline workers in Tshopo and Bas-Uélé provinces, and 20,000 reserved for the WHO-led trial, expected to begin in October or November in Ituri — the remote, conflict-ridden epicenter. Meanwhile, Oxford and Moderna are separately running early-phase human trials of experimental vaccines specifically targeting Bundibugyo.
By the Numbers:
Why it matters: With no licensed vaccine or treatment for Bundibugyo ebolavirus, the upcoming trial is a critical step — but experts warn that stopping transmission now requires parallel action: rapid case-finding, quality care, contact tracing, and community trust-building, not just vaccines.
