14th Ebola Outbreak Declared in the Democratic Republic of Congo

The health authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) today declared a Zaire Ebolavirus outbreak after a fatal case was confirmed in Mbandaka, a city in the north-western Equateur Province.

This is the third outbreak in the province since 2018.

And its the 14th Ebola outbreak in the DRC since 1976.

The DRC has stockpiles of Merck's Ervebo (rVSV-ZEBOV) Zaire Ebola vaccine, which are currently in-transit to Mbandaka.

Ervebo is a recombinant, replication-competent vaccine. Its active ingredient is a live Vesicular Stomatitis Virus, in which its surface protein has been replaced with that of Zaire ebola virus disease (EVD). 

The DRC will once again deploy the ring-vaccination strategy, where contacts and contacts of contacts are vaccinated to curb the spread of the virus and protect lives.

“Time is not on our side,” said Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, the World Health Organization Regional Director for Africa, in a press release issued on April 23, 2022.

“Many people in Mbandaka are already vaccinated against Ebola, which should help reduce the impact of the disease."

“All vaccinated people during the 2020 outbreak will be revaccinated," added Dr. Moeti.

EVD is a severe, often fatal illness affecting humans and other primates. In past Ebola outbreaks, case fatality rates have varied from 25% to 90%.

Previous Ebola vaccine news is posted at Vax-Before-Travel.

Note: The WHO announcement was edited for clarity and manually curated for mobile readership.