WHO allocates 20,000 Ervebo doses for an Ebola vaccine research programme in DR Congo's Ituri province
21 September 2026
The World Health Organization (WHO) said on 21 September 2026 that 20,000 doses of the Ervebo vaccine have been allocated for a research vaccination programme in Ituri province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The programme covers frontline health workers and others in the response, and aims to learn how effective Ervebo is against Ebola Bundibugyo virus.
Ervebo has been "highly effective" against Ebola Zaire virus, but its protection against Bundibugyo is not yet known.
A total of 70,000 doses have been made available to the Congolese authorities; the outbreak, confirmed in May, has spread to seven provinces.
Health authority data show more than 7,600 confirmed cases including over 3,670 deaths, with nearly eight in 10 infections recorded in Ituri.
In plain words
Ervebo — An Ebola vaccine that has been highly effective against Ebola Zaire virus; whether it gives meaningful protection against Bundibugyo virus is not yet known.
Bundibugyo virus — An Ebola virus species, named after a district in Uganda; a clinical trial of a treatment for it is under way in DR Congo.