The Democratic Republic of Congo has begun vaccinating people against Ebola, prioritising health workers and other front-line personnel. But the vaccine being distributed this week is licensed for another strain. Its effectiveness against the Bundibugyo strain has not been determined. There is currently no approved vaccine or treatment for the new strain, and clinical trials are ongoing.
The first injections are being given to health workers in the city of Kisangani. More than 50,000 doses have been received, according to Congolese Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba. The outbreak is concentrated in Ituri province, which borders Uganda. Kamba said: “We will cover all the provinces that are around Ituri, moving in the ring towards the centre of the outbreak.”
The World Health Organization said last week that 70,000 doses of the Ervebo vaccine had been approved for use in the DRC. About 20,000 of those doses will be used in a clinical trial to test effectiveness against the latest strain. Health workers are calling for more doses.
As of Tuesday, the DRC had recorded 5,713 confirmed Ebola cases, including 2,744 deaths, according to government figures. The outbreak is the deadliest in the country’s history. It is spreading under extremely difficult conditions, fuelled by insecurity, displacement, a health workers’ strike and intense population movements.
The WHO has said the outbreak remains out of control and is on track to surpass the 2014-2016 West Africa Ebola outbreak, the deadliest on record, which killed more than 11,000 people, primarily in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
Reference
Al Jazeera, “DRC begins vaccinating front-line healthcare workers against Ebola,” published August 28, 2026. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/8/28/drc-begins-vaccinating-front-line-healthcare-workers-against-ebola