KINSHASA — The Democratic Republic of the Congo received 16,250 doses of the Ervebo vaccine at N’djili International Airport in Kinshasa on Friday. The shipment is part of a larger emergency allocation intended to combat an Ebola outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo virus strain.

Of the 70,000 Ervebo vaccine doses allocated to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 20,000 are designated for a clinical trial and 50,000 are allocated for frontline and health workers. The Ervebo vaccine was produced in Germany by the pharmaceutical company Merck.

The Ervebo vaccine is licensed for the Zaire strain of Ebola and has been used in previous outbreaks. The World Health Organization stated that early data from animal trials suggest the Ervebo vaccine may offer some protection against the Bundibugyo strain.

WHO vaccine experts recommended a full-scale human trial of the Ervebo vaccine to test for cross-protection against the Bundibugyo strain. Two vaccines specifically targeting the Bundibugyo strain are in clinical trial phases, including one developed by Moderna using mRNA technology and another by the University of Oxford.

An rVSV Bundibugyo vaccine described by the WHO as the most promising candidate is being developed by Singapore-based Hilleman Laboratories. Samuel Roger Kamba, the Democratic Republic of the Congo's health minister, stated that the Ervebo vaccine was used on a very large scale during the 2018–2020 outbreak.

Congolese authorities reported 5,290 confirmed Ebola cases and 2,516 deaths as of Friday. The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention stated that Ebola transmission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has not yet peaked and could reach three times its current rate.

Julien Harneis, the UN senior Ebola coordinator, stated that the outbreak is growing exponentially. The World Health Organization reported that 70 to 80 percent of newly detected Ebola cases have no known epidemiological links.

The World Health Organization stated that the outbreak can be brought under control within three months if sufficient resources are mobilized. Efforts to contain the Ebola outbreak have been hampered by armed conflict between the government and rebel groups, attacks on medical personnel and facilities, an itinerant labor population, displaced people, and a lack of critical infrastructure.

The AFC/M23 rebel alliance controls large parts of North and South Kivu after capturing Goma and Bukavu during its 2025 offensive. The AFC/M23 administration suspended shared taxis on the Goma-Kirumba road for one month starting Saturday and halted passenger boats on some routes across Lake Edward.

Taxi-buses will continue operating on the Goma-Kirumba road under health and safety controls, and trucks carrying goods remain permitted. The AFC/M23 movement restrictions were announced after two travellers from the government-held town of Lubero tested positive for Ebola in a village under M23 control.

The AFC/M23 rebel group established its own health response in areas under its control and declared those areas Ebola-free in late June. Health authorities reported an Ebola death in northeastern Bas-Uele province earlier this month.

The Ebola outbreak was declared on May 15 but is believed to have been spreading for several weeks prior. The current outbreak is the deadliest in the Democratic Republic of the Congo's history and the second-largest globally after the 2014-2016 West Africa epidemic.

The 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak in West Africa killed over 11,000 people. Ebola has killed more than 15,000 people in Africa over the past 50 years.

Why It Matters

The deployment of the Ervebo vaccine marks an intervention in an outbreak that has already surpassed all previous Ebola epidemics in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in terms of mortality. With transmission rates projected to triple and a portion of new cases lacking known epidemiological links, the speed of vaccine distribution and the effectiveness of contact tracing are central to containing the spread.

The logistical and security challenges posed by armed conflict and rebel-controlled territories complicate the delivery of medical supplies and the implementation of public health measures. The international community faces a funding gap, with only 60 percent of the required $115 million raised, while simultaneously navigating the scientific uncertainty of using a Zaire-strain vaccine against the Bundibugyo variant.

Timeline

The World Health Organization and partners announced on Thursday that the Democratic Republic of the Congo would receive a total of 70,000 doses of the Ervebo vaccine.

What's New

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an order on July 13, 2026, continuing the suspension of the right to introduce certain persons from countries with a quarantinable communicable disease outbreak, effective through 4:59 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on August 12, 2026.

The rate of contact tracing among people exposed to Ebola patients in the Democratic Republic of the Congo stands at 82.9%.

The World Health Organization estimates that $115 million is needed for the Ebola response and has raised approximately 60 percent of that amount.

How Sources Differ

Regarding the number of doses, the World Health Organization shipment manifest states that the Democratic Republic of the Congo received 16,250 doses of the Ervebo vaccine at N’djili International Airport in Kinshasa on Friday, while the World Health Organization announcement states that the organization and partners announced on Thursday that the Democratic Republic of the Congo would receive a total of 70,000 doses of the Ervebo vaccine.

On the topic of vaccine history, Samuel Roger Kamba states that Samuel Roger Kamba, the Democratic Republic of the Congo's health minister, stated that the Ervebo vaccine was used on a very large scale during the 2018–2020 outbreak, whereas the World Health Organization shipment manifest states that the Democratic Republic of the Congo received 16,250 doses of the Ervebo vaccine at N’djili International Airport in Kinshasa on Friday.

Regarding health context, Samuel Roger Kamba states that Samuel Roger Kamba, the Democratic Republic of the Congo's health minister, stated that the Ervebo vaccine was used on a very large scale during the 2018–2020 outbreak, while the World Health Organization announcement states that the World Health Organization and partners announced on Thursday that the Democratic Republic of the Congo would receive a total of 70,000 doses of the Ervebo vaccine.

On the nature of the outbreak, Samuel Roger Kamba states that Samuel Roger Kamba, the Democratic Republic of the Congo's health minister, stated that the Ervebo vaccine was used on a very large scale during the 2018–2020 outbreak, whereas the World Health Organization historical outbreak database states that the current outbreak is the deadliest in the Democratic Republic of the Congo's history and the second-largest globally after the 2014-2016 West Africa epidemic.

Regarding dose allocation, the World Health Organization shipment manifest states that the Democratic Republic of the Congo received 16,250 doses of the Ervebo vaccine at N’djili International Airport in Kinshasa on Friday, while the World Health Organization allocation plan states that of the 70,000 Ervebo vaccine doses allocated to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 20,000 are designated for a clinical trial and 50,000 are allocated for frontline and health workers.

On vaccine quantities, the World Health Organization allocation plan states that of the 70,000 Ervebo vaccine doses allocated to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 20,000 are designated for a clinical trial and 50,000 are allocated for frontline and health workers, whereas the World Health Organization announcement states that the World Health Organization and partners announced on Thursday that the Democratic Republic of the Congo would receive a total of 70,000 doses of the Ervebo vaccine.

Regarding epidemiological details, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention laboratory report states that the current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is caused by the Bundibugyo virus strain, while newsdata states that the rate of contact tracing among people exposed to Ebola patients in the Democratic Republic of the Congo stands at 82.9%.

On the severity of the crisis, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention laboratory report states that the current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is caused by the Bundibugyo virus strain, whereas the World Health Organization historical outbreak database states that the current outbreak is the deadliest in the Democratic Republic of the Congo's history and the second-largest globally after the 2014-2016 West Africa epidemic.