Over 4,300 confirmed cases reported
The outbreak has resulted in 2,011 fatalities out of 4,381 confirmed cases, as reported in the latest health ministry update. With a staggering mortality rate of 45.9%, this crisis emerged in Ituri Province before rapidly spreading to conflict-ridden areas in North Kivu and other northeastern regions where healthcare infrastructure remains critically underdeveloped. The current outbreak’s death toll now nears that of the 2018-2020 epidemic, which previously held the grim record as the DRC’s most lethal Ebola crisis with nearly 2,300 fatalities.
Testing existing vaccines against current strain
This outbreak is driven by the Bundibugyo variant, for which no approved vaccine currently exists. World Health Organization experts have urgently recommended initiating Phase 3 clinical trials of Ervebo—the only Ebola vaccine currently approved. Given the extensive safety data already compiled, researchers can bypass initial trial phases and proceed directly to large-scale testing. Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, has pledged to supply doses from the global Ervebo stockpile, which contains approximately 500,000 doses. The vaccine is manufactured by the U.S.-based Merck pharmaceutical company.
Multiple vaccine candidates in development
Additional vaccine candidates are being explored to combat the Bundibugyo strain. Health Canada has approved Moderna to launch clinical trials for its experimental vaccine, while two other potential vaccines are under development by Hilleman Laboratories and the University of Oxford. In response to the escalating crisis, the United States has committed over $242 million in additional funding to bolster Ebola containment efforts in the DRC.
