DRC Confronts Its Deadliest Ebola Outbreak on Record as Vaccines Arrive
The Democratic Republic of Congo is battling the deadliest Ebola outbreak in its history, with more than 5,000 cases and over 2,300 deaths recorded so far from the Bundibugyo strain of the virus. The country is now set to receive 70,000 doses of the Ervebo vaccine from the UN-backed International Coordinating Group, though health officials caution it remains unknown whether the vaccine — proven effective against Ebola Zaire — offers meaningful protection against this outbreak’s strain.
The response has been further complicated by ongoing conflict in eastern DRC, which has restricted humanitarian access, hampered contact tracing, and made safe burials difficult to carry out. More than 160 health workers have contracted the virus in the course of the response, underscoring just how dangerous the frontline work has become.
