The Democratic Republic of Congo has expanded vaccination of healthcare and frontline workers against Ebola, as the country faces its largest recorded outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo virus. More than 6,700 cases have been confirmed and over 3,200 people have died since the epidemic began.
Outbreaks have spread across dozens of health zones in multiple provinces. The worst-hit area remains Ituri in the east, where medical teams not only confront the virus but also struggle with shortages of healthcare, population displacement, and serious security challenges.
Healthcare workers first to receive vaccine
Vaccination of healthcare and frontline workers began at the end of August.
By early September, more than 2,000 people had been vaccinated in health zones in the provinces of Tshopo, Bas-Uélé, and Ituri.
The Ervebo vaccine is typically designed to protect against a different type of Ebola virus. For the Bundibugyo virus, its effectiveness remains unproven, so its use in the current epidemic is being conducted alongside research protocols.
Tens of thousands of doses sent to DR Congo
A total of 70,000 doses of the Ervebo vaccine have been allocated to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Of these, 50,000 doses are set aside for healthcare and frontline workers. The remaining 20,000 will be used in clinical trials to determine whether the vaccine can also offer effective protection against the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola.
Healthcare workers are among the most at risk because they come into direct contact with infected patients and biological materials.
Epidemic now affects six provinces
As of September 7, DR Congo had confirmed 6,757 cases and 3,267 deaths due to the outbreak.
The fatality rate among confirmed cases was approximately 48 percent.
The disease has now spread to 61 health zones across six provinces: Bas-Uélé, Haut-Uélé, Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, and Tshopo.
The highest number of cases continues to be reported in Ituri province.
Aktualizovane.sk previously reported during the summer about Ebola’s spread to Europe, when an infected doctor who had returned from DR Congo was treated in France.
Virus crosses borders beyond Congo
The current epidemic has not been limited to the Democratic Republic of Congo alone.
Cases have also been confirmed in Uganda. One infection was recorded in France, while two patients diagnosed in DR Congo were later treated in Germany.
Health organizations are warning of the risk of further cross-border spread, especially given the significant population movement between affected areas.
Conflict and displacement complicate response
The situation is especially difficult in eastern Congo.
Some affected regions face armed conflict, population movements, and limited access to healthcare.
This makes it harder to trace contacts of infected individuals, carry out timely diagnosis, and isolate patients.
There are also ongoing problems with shortages of clean water, hygiene facilities, and medical staff in certain communities.
No approved vaccine for Bundibugyo Ebola yet
The Bundibugyo virus is one of the Ebola virus species capable of causing severe disease in humans.
Unlike classic Ebola caused by the Ebola virus, there is currently no specifically approved vaccine against Bundibugyo virus.
This is why health authorities are using the current outbreak to collect data on whether the Ervebo vaccine can provide any level of protection against this particular variant of the disease.
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The scale of the outbreak shows that vaccination alone will not be enough. Rapid identification of new cases, isolation of patients, contact tracing, and protection of medical staff remain crucial.
DR Congo thus serves as a major test to determine whether the combination of vaccination, research, and conventional outbreak control measures can contain the virus in the midst of one of the world’s toughest humanitarian crises.
This article was translated from the original Slovak version with the assistance of AI.
