DRC Receives 16,000 Ervebo Vaccine Doses Amid Fastest-Growing Ebola Outbreak

The Democratic Republic of the Congo has received more than 16,000 doses of the Ervebo vaccine against Ebola virus, as the country grapples with the fastest-growing outbreak in history. The Ervebo vaccine is most effective against the virus's Zaire strain, however the WHO said it may provide some protection against the current Bundibugyo strain. The DRC's Ebola outbreak has so far claimed more than 2,500 lives, with the disease spreading at an unprecedented pace. The Democratic Republic of the Congo has received more than 16,250 doses of the Ervebo vaccine as the country grapples with the fastest Ebola outbreak in history, the country's health minister said. The doses arrived at N'djili International Airport in the capital, Kinshasa, late on Friday, the first of 70,000 doses expected from the World Health Organization (WHO) and partners that were announced on Thursday. More doses are expected early next week. The current Ebola outbreak in the DRC is caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, which currently has no approved treatment or vaccine. It can spread easily and go undetected because some of its symptoms are similar to other illnesses, such as malaria. The Ervebo vaccine is licensed to treat the Zaire strain of Ebola, and has been effective in past outbreaks. However, the WHO said it may provide some protection against the Bundibugyo strain of the virus. The latest outbreak, which has caused 2,557 deaths out of the 5,375 confirmed cases across six affected provinces, is spreading at an unprecedented rate, and is on track to surpass the deadliest Ebola outbreak on record, which killed over 11,000 people across West Africa between 2014 and 2016. The response to the outbreak has been hampered by difficulty contact tracing, hidden transmissions, regional instability threatening underpaid responders and difficulty corralling mass-movements. Data from the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention shows that transmission has not yet peaked and could reach three times its current rate. Efforts to contain the outbreak have been made more difficult by armed conflict between the government and rebel groups, which control key cities in the hot spot; attacks on medical personnel and facilities; an itinerant labour population and people displaced by the armed conflict; and a lack of critical infrastructure. AP