BUNIA — Congo began vaccinating healthcare staff against Ebola in Bunia on Saturday, September 19, 2026. The campaign uses the Ervebo vaccine to protect front-line workers despite the current outbreak being driven by the Bundibugyo virus, for which no licensed vaccine or treatment exists.

As of Saturday, September 19, 2026, Congo had recorded 7,541 confirmed Ebola cases, including 3,639 deaths and 1,823 recoveries. The vaccination rollout targets the Bunia and Mongbwalu zones in Ituri province, where health workers are being prioritized to receive the doses.

The operation is backed by the World Health Organization and Doctors Without Borders (MSF). The BRAVO study is expected to run for nine to 12 months, including three months of vaccination and at least six months of participant follow-up. The campaign in Ituri and North Kivu is expected to cover 20,000 front-line workers over a period of six to nine months.

Military Governor of Ituri Gaby Kasongo Mulumba defended the decision to deploy the vaccine in the region. "Our collective duty is to protect life. Launching this vaccination drive for front-line staff in Ituri is not an arbitrary choice, as these workers are particularly exposed and deeply involved in the response," Mulumba said.

Health authorities said Ervebo could offer some protection against the Bundibugyo virus because the two viruses are related. The Ervebo vaccine was effective in past Ebola outbreaks caused by the Zaire strain. WHO experts said early data on the Ervebo vaccine from animal trials suggested it could offer some protection in the current outbreak.

Bundibugyo belongs to the filovirus family, the same group of viruses that includes the Ebola virus. The 2026 Bundibugyo outbreak was formally recognized after the death of a nurse. Bundibugyo has been linked to only two previously recognized outbreaks, one in Uganda in 2007 and another in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2012.

Clinical trials are ongoing to find a licensed vaccine for the Bundibugyo virus. However, uncertainty remains regarding the efficacy of the existing Zaire-strain vaccine against the current pathogen. "We don’t know to what degree it might be effective against the Bundibugyo strain," Congolese Health Official Steve Ahuka said.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that Ervebo be used for Bundibugyo virus disease (BVD) only within the context of a research protocol. The use of Ervebo had already begun on August 27, 2026, under a protocol-governed program targeting people at high risk of exposure.

As of September 17, 2026, a total of 3,771 people had been vaccinated, including 3,063 in Tshopo Province and 708 in Bas-Uele Province. Healthcare workers expressed mixed feelings about the mandatory nature of the vaccination drive. "We healthcare workers don’t really have a choice: we are going to receive it. Some people here had already received the previous vaccine. I received it myself, because it was mandatory," Doctor Jeannot Elua said.

Other medical professionals questioned the necessity of repeat dosing. "If it arrives, we will receive it too. But the question is whether we need to be vaccinated a second time," Doctor Jean Paul Uzele said.

The outbreak is concentrated in Ituri province and is the deadliest of all past 17 Ebola outbreaks in Congo. The World Health Organization stated the outbreak remains out of control and is on track to surpass the 2014-2016 West Africa Ebola outbreak, which killed more than 11,000 people. At least a dozen attacks have taken place against facilities involved in Ebola care since May 2026.

Women face disproportionate risks during the crisis. Official data shows that more than 54 percent of confirmed Ebola patients in the DRC are women. Girls make up 51 percent of confirmed Ebola patients in the 10 to 17 age group in the DRC. Latest data show that two-thirds of the deaths reported in a 24-hour period occurred in communities rather than medical facilities.

UN Women Representative in the DRC Setcheme Mongbo described the specific vulnerabilities faced by women in caregiving roles. "Women are not only present in health facilities as attendants, but also in communities and homes where they care for the sick, provide them with food and water, and even participate in washing corpses as well as funeral activities," Mongbo said.

"Women and girls are the ones who take care of their children and siblings without protective equipment," she added. Mongbo also noted reports of unrecorded deaths in home settings. "I heard stories of women who fell ill and died in their homes after some of them made statements calling for help but got no response," she said.

Community members reported that four women died at home in a single day with no official record. Women traders in affected areas reported their daily income decreased by between 20 and 30 dollars due to travel restrictions and border closures. A UN Women study shows that 86 percent of women-led organizations surveyed said they had not received any form of funding for Ebola response.

Nine out of 10 women-led organizations surveyed were not involved in decision-making for the Ebola response. "Women and their organizations are key to stopping the Ebola outbreak in the DRC," Mongbo said.

Why It Matters

The deployment of Ervebo against the Bundibugyo strain represents a deviation from standard protocol, as the vaccine is not licensed for this specific virus. The World Health Organization restricts its use for Bundibugyo to research contexts due to unknown efficacy levels, yet the scale of the outbreak has prompted health authorities to prioritize immediate protection for exposed staff. With case numbers rising and the outbreak described as the deadliest in Congo's history, the decision balances uncertain medical evidence against the urgent need to preserve the healthcare workforce.

The gendered impact of the epidemic further complicates the response, with women comprising the majority of patients and bearing the brunt of community care duties without adequate protective equipment or funding. As the outbreak threatens to surpass the mortality of the 2014-2016 West Africa epidemic, the integration of women-led organizations into the response remains limited, despite their critical role in home-based care and containment efforts.

Timeline

According to the WHO, 695 confirmed cases and 138 confirmed deaths had been reported in the DRC and Uganda as of June 11, 2026. The World Health Organization approved 70,000 doses of Ervebo for use in Congo. About 50,000 doses of Ervebo are intended for front-line and health workers, while 20,000 doses will be used in a clinical trial. Last month, the Ervebo vaccine was rolled out in Kisangani in the Tshopo province.

On September 18, 2026, Setcheme Mongbo said, "I heard stories of women who fell ill and died in their homes after some of them made statements calling for help but got no response."

What's New

Additional reporting clarifies that the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that Ervebo be used for Bundibugyo virus disease (BVD) only within the context of a research protocol. Congolese Health Official Steve Ahuka stated, "We don’t know to what degree it might be effective against the Bundibugyo strain." Setcheme Mongbo reported, "I heard stories of women who fell ill and died in their homes after some of them made statements calling for help but got no response." She also asserted, "Women and their organizations are key to stopping the Ebola outbreak in the DRC." Further details indicate the use of Ervebo had already begun on August 27, 2026, under a protocol-governed program targeting people at high risk of exposure. She explained, "Women are not only present in health facilities as attendants, but also in communities and homes where they care for the sick, provide them with food and water, and even participate in washing corpses as well as funeral activities." She added, "Women and girls are the ones who take care of their children and siblings without protective equipment."