Overview
- The Democratic Republic of Congo has recorded roughly 5,700–5,800 confirmed Ebola cases and about 2,700–2,800 deaths, making this the country’s deadliest outbreak and leaving transmission very active.
- On Thursday this week the DRC began vaccinating frontline health and response workers with Ervebo, having received more than 50,000 doses and setting aside 20,000 doses for a clinical trial to measure effectiveness against Bundibugyo.
- Ervebo is licensed for the Zaire species of Ebola and has no proven efficacy for Bundibugyo, so its use in the DRC is being carried out under compassionate‑use and research protocols while Bundibugyo‑specific vaccines and trials are accelerated.
- Response operations are strained by armed insecurity, mass displacement, unpaid and striking health staff, and surveillance gaps that Africa CDC says could mean only 30–40% of infections are being detected.
- UN and WHO officials warn funding and capacity will be exhausted within weeks and have appealed for roughly $1.1 billion to expand beds, testing, contact tracing and community outreach to protect children, keep schools safe, and prevent regional spread.