MSF Calls for Wider Access to Ebola Vaccine in DR Congo

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has called for broader access to an Ebola vaccine in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to support efforts to contain a major outbreak that has killed more than 5,000 people.

Nearly 11,000 cases have been recorded in the outbreak, making it the deadliest Ebola epidemic in the country’s history.

The outbreak is being driven by the Bundibugyo strain of the virus, for which no vaccine has been specifically approved.

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However, clinical trials are ongoing to assess whether Ervebo, a vaccine developed for a more common Ebola strain, can also offer protection against it.

Ebola (News Central TV) — Health workers dress up in personal protective equipment (PPE) at the Evangelical Medical Center, one of the facilities at the forefront of the response to the Ebola outbreak, as agencies intensify efforts to contain a new Ebola outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo virus strain in Bunia, Ituri province, Democratic Republic of Congo, on May 31, 2026. Credit: REUTERS/Gradel Muyisa Mumbere

In a statement on Monday, MSF said emerging research and observations from the field indicate that Ervebo could help protect people at risk of infection, making wider access to the vaccine necessary.

The World Health Organization (WHO) announced last month that it had launched a clinical trial in the DRC to establish whether Ervebo provides cross-protection against the Bundibugyo strain.

MSF has also been conducting an observational study in the country since September, using the vaccine to immunise 20,000 frontline workers.

The DRC declared its 17th Ebola outbreak on May 15. Two days later, the WHO declared a public health emergency of international concern, its second-highest level of alert.