More than 16,000 doses of the Ebola vaccine have been delivered to the Democratic Republic of the Congo — WP
On August 22, the Democratic Republic of the Congo received its first shipment of 16,250 doses of the Ervebo vaccine amid a rapidly spreading Ebola outbreak. The vaccine is part of a total shipment of 70,000 doses; however, the current outbreak is caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain, for which Ervebo does not have a separate license.
The 16,250 doses arrived late Friday at N'djili International Airport in the capital, Kinshasa, as part of a total of 70,000 doses expected from the World Health Organization (WHO) and its partners. An even larger shipment is expected early next week.
The current Ebola outbreak in the DRC is caused by the rare Bundibujo virus, for which there is currently no approved treatment or vaccine. It can spread easily and go undetected, as some of its symptoms resemble those of other diseases, such as malaria.
The Ervebo vaccine is licensed for the treatment of Ebola and has been effective during past outbreaks. The WHO has stated that it may provide some protection against the Bundibugyo virus.
According to the latest data, there have been 2,557 deaths out of 5,375 confirmed cases in the six affected provinces of the DRC.
It is noted that Bundibugyo is spreading at an unprecedented rate and is close to surpassing the deadliest outbreak on record, which claimed the lives of more than 11,000 people in West Africa between 2014 and 2016.
According to the African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the spread of the fever has not yet peaked and could triple current levels.
This was reported by the WP.
As a reminder, the Democratic Republic of the Congo will receive 70,000 doses of the Ebola vaccine.
The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has become the deadliest in the country’s history: at least 2,325 people have died from the virus. This figure exceeds the death toll from the 2018–2020 epidemic, according to The Guardian, citing government data.
