Ebola Vaccination DRC: WHO Launches Campaign
- As of September 14, 2025, vaccination campaigns are in progress in Bulape health zone, Kasai Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo, following a recent Ebola outbreak.
- Vaccination of frontline health workers and contacts of confirmed Ebola cases has begun in Bulape.
- The vaccination strategy employs a "ring vaccination" approach, prioritizing individuals at highest risk due to contact with confirmed Ebola patients.
Ebola Vaccination Efforts Underway in Democratic Republic of the Congo
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As of September 14, 2025, vaccination campaigns are in progress in Bulape health zone, Kasai Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo, following a recent Ebola outbreak.
Outbreak response and Vaccination
Vaccination of frontline health workers and contacts of confirmed Ebola cases has begun in Bulape. An initial shipment of 400 doses of the Ervebo Ebola vaccine, drawn from a national stockpile of 2000 doses prepositioned in Kinshasa, has been delivered to the affected area, with additional doses planned for delivery to other localities in the coming days.
The vaccination strategy employs a “ring vaccination” approach, prioritizing individuals at highest risk due to contact with confirmed Ebola patients. Healthcare workers and frontline responders perhaps exposed to Ebola patients are also being vaccinated. The Ervebo vaccine is specifically designed to protect against the Zaire ebolavirus species, which is the cause of this outbreak.
Additional Vaccine Doses and Treatment
The International Coordinating Group on Vaccine Provision has approved the shipment of approximately 45,000 additional Ebola vaccine doses to the Democratic Republic of the Congo to support the ongoing outbreak response. The World Health Association (WHO) assisted the health authorities in requesting these doses and developing a vaccination plan for their distribution.
Alongside vaccines, treatment courses of the monoclonal antibody therapy Mab114 have been dispatched to treatment centers in Bulape to provide clinical care for infected individuals.
WHO Support and Risk Assessment
The WHO has deployed 48 experts specializing in disease surveillance, clinical care, infection prevention and control, logistics, and community engagement. These experts are collaborating with partner organizations to bolster the government’s outbreak response efforts and halt the spread of the virus.
WHO is also working with neighboring countries to enhance their operational readiness for rapid case detection and implementation of control measures. As of September 14, 2025, the WHO assesses the public health risk as high at the national level, moderate at the regional level, and low at the global level.