DRC set to receive 70,000 Ebola vaccines, not approved for current strain, WHO says

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) will receive 70,000 doses of Merck's Ervebo Ebola vaccine to combat its largest-ever Ebola outbreak, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced. The Ervebo vaccine is approved for the Ebola Zaire strain, but its efficacy against the current Ebola Bundibugyo strain in humans is unknown. Consequently, 20,000 of the allocated doses will be used in a late-stage trial to assess its impact on the Bundibugyo strain. The current outbreak has surpassed previous records, with over 5,000 confirmed cases and 2,378 deaths. WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus stated that the outbreak in eastern Congo "remains a global emergency."