Kathmandu— The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) received over 16,000 doses of the Ervebo vaccine late Friday evening to combat its ongoing and deadly Ebola outbreak. The shipment represents the first tranche of a pledged 70,000 doses from the World Health Organization (WHO) and partners, intended for Kinshasa and frontline health workers as infections continue to rise exponentially. While the current outbreak is complicated by the presence of both the Zaire and Bundibugyo strains of the virus, the Ervebo vaccine is specifically approved for use against the Zaire strain. The delivery comes after the UN warned this week that the outbreak is growing faster and wider.

Vaccine Allocation and Clinical Trials

The initial shipment of 16,250 doses will be followed by additional deliveries next week. Of the total 70,000 doses allocated to the DRC, 20,000 are designated for a late-stage clinical trial designed to assess the vaccine’s effectiveness against the Bundibugyo strain currently circulating in the country. Early data from animal trials suggest that Ervebo may offer some level of protection even against this strain, according to the WHO. The remaining 50,000 doses are intended for use by frontline workers and healthcare professionals.

Outbreak Severity and Spread

The current Ebola outbreak is the deadliest in DRC’s history, with over 2,500 deaths reported from nearly 5,300 confirmed cases. The outbreak was officially declared in mid-May but is believed to have begun weeks prior. Data from the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that transmission has not yet reached its peak and could potentially triple the currently known rate.

Challenges to Containment

Efforts to contain the virus are being significantly hampered by several factors, including ongoing armed conflict in eastern DRC, delays in identifying cases, and a lack of adequate infrastructure. Samuel Roger Kamba, the DRC’s health minister, noted that Ervebo has been used previously in the country, “on a very large scale” during the 2018 to 2020 outbreak.

Health officials continue to monitor the situation closely and work to improve containment efforts as they await further vaccine deliveries and clinical trial results.

(With inputs from Al Jazeera)

Originally published on abcnews.com.np.