Health authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have begun vaccinating frontline workers and close contacts of confirmed Ebola patients in Bulape, Kasai Province, following the declaration of a new outbreak.
An initial batch of 400 doses of the Ervebo Ebola vaccine has already been deployed from the country’s 2,000-dose stockpile in Kinshasa to Bulape, one of the current hotspots.
More doses are expected in affected areas in the coming days.
The campaign is being carried out using a ring vaccination strategy, which targets people at highest risk—those who have come into contact with confirmed cases—as well as healthcare and frontline workers.
The Ervebo vaccine has proven effective against the Zaire ebolavirus, the strain confirmed in this outbreak.
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To bolster the response, the International Coordinating Group on Vaccine Provision has approved the shipment of around 45,000 additional doses to the DRC. WHO supported the Ministry of Health in preparing the request and, together with partners such as UNICEF, helped develop a detailed vaccination rollout plan.
Vaccination teams are also being trained in data collection and field operations.
Alongside vaccines, treatment centres in Bulape have received supplies of Mab114, a monoclonal antibody therapy used to treat Ebola patients.
The World Health Organization has already deployed 48 experts specializing in surveillance, clinical care, logistics, infection prevention, and community engagement. These teams are working closely with local authorities and partner organizations to strengthen response measures and stop the spread of the virus.
Neighbouring countries are also on alert. WHO is collaborating with their governments to improve preparedness, ensuring rapid case detection and swift intervention if the disease crosses borders.
WHO currently assesses the risk level of the outbreak as high nationally, moderate regionally, and low globally.
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