Congo will receive 70,000 doses of the Ervebo vaccine, which has been effective in previous Ebola outbreaks, the World Health Organization and its partners said on Thursday, announcing a move seen as a major boost to efforts to contain what officials have described as the fastest-moving Ebola outbreak in history. The Ervebo vaccine is authorized for use against the Ebola virus, one of the viruses that causes Ebola disease, but not against the Bundibugyo virus, which is responsible for the current outbreak that has so far killed 2,476 people out of 5,208 confirmed cases. The WHO said in a statement that while it is not known whether Ervebo can protect against the Bundibugyo virus, “early laboratory and animal data suggest that it may provide some protection.” The allocation includes 20,000 doses for a Phase 3 clinical trial to understand the impact of the vaccine on the Bundibugyo virus, the agency said. The remaining 50,000 doses will be used for healthcare and frontline workers, as recommended by WHO experts. The outbreak sweeping six provinces in eastern Congo has infected and killed more people at a faster rate than any other Ebola outbreak in history, and is spreading about three times faster compared to the 2014-2016 outbreak in West Africa – the deadliest Ebola outbreak on record with more than 11,000 deaths. 2:08 Ebola outbreak in Congo reaches 5,000 cases as its spread outpaces efforts to contain it More on health More videos The International Vaccine Supply Coordination Group, which includes the WHO and other partners, said the doses would be released immediately following a request from the Congo government. Receive weekly health news Receive the latest medical news and health information every Sunday. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called the approval “an important example of global solidarity in action.” He said the agency and its partners remain committed to supporting enhanced surveillance, rapid detection, quality care, community engagement and vaccination efforts to control the outbreak. The lack of approved vaccines or treatments for the rare Bundibugyo virus has been a major problem for first responders. Most new cases have been reported outside of monitored people, showing that the virus continues to spread faster than efforts to track it. That has been a key factor in the recorded deaths. The case fatality rate so far is 47.5 percent, although it is much worse in some places where response efforts are more challenging, such as in North Kivu province, where the case fatality rate is as high as 70 percent. Experts believe the virus began spreading from the mining town of Mongbwalu as early as February, months before authorities declared the outbreak on May 15. © 2026 The Canadian Press