DR Congo rolls out Ebola vaccine for health workers as death toll rises

By Al Jazeera Staff, AFP and AP. Published On 20 Sep 202620 Sep 2026.

Key points

• The virus has killed at least 3, 639 and infected some 7, 541 individuals since May.
• Its effectiveness against the current Ebola strain caused by the Bundibugyo virus will be monitored in 20, 000 recipients for up to one year.
• The WHO remarked in August that 70, 000 doses of Ervebo were approved for apply in the DRC.
• Some 50, 000 health and other frontline workers will be injected with the Ervebo vaccine.
• The provincial governor, Major-General Gaby Kasongo Mulumba, remarked health workers there "are particularly exposed and deeply involved in the response".

Health workers in parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have begun to receive a vaccine that plenty of hope will provide a level of protection against the Ebola virus.

For context, the vaccine rollout began on Saturday in Bunia, the capital of Ituri province in the northeastern DRC. Ituri is the epicentre of the fastest-growing outbreak of Ebola in history.

For context, the provincial governor, Major-General Gaby Kasongo Mulumba, remarked health workers there "are particularly exposed and deeply involved in the response".

Meanwhile, the operation, backed by the World Health Organization and Doctors Without Borders, known by its French initials MSF, will additionally target North Kivu, where cases have been rising sharply, health authorities stated.

Some 50, 000 health and other frontline workers will be injected with the Ervebo vaccine. It was developed for employ against the more common Zaire strain.

Clinical trials are ongoing to find a licensed vaccine for the latest outbreak. It has no licensed vaccine or proven treatment.

"We don't know to what degree it might be effective against the Bundibugyo strain, " Steve Ahuka, a Congolese official who is part of the health task force against the Ebola outbreak, remarked.

Dr Jeannot Elua remarked at a health facility in Bunia the vaccine was "beneficial".

"We healthcare workers don't really have a choice. We are going to receive it, " he informed the Associated Press news agency. "Some individuals here had already received the previous vaccine. Since it was mandatory.", I received it myself.

According to WHO experts have, early data on the Ervebo vaccine, notably from animal trials, suggested it could offer some protection in the current outbreak.

Notably, the virus has killed at least 3, 639 and infected some 7, 541 individuals since May. Some 1, 823 individuals have recovered, according to the latest figures from local authorities.

Meanwhile, the WHO remarked in August that 70, 000 doses of Ervebo were approved for apply in the DRC.

In practice, the vaccine is being applied under a compassionate-use programme. It allows a medical product to be employed in a serious disease situation even though it has not been specifically approved for that particular employ.

While WHO authorities have cited "encouraging signs" that transmission may be slowing, MSF cautioned on Friday that there is no clear evidence the epidemic is coming under control.

In short, DR Congo rolls out Ebola vaccine for health workers as death toll is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.