WHO Deploys Ebola Vaccine Against a Strain It Was Never Approved For

DR Congo's deadliest Ebola outbreak — over 2,500 dead out of nearly 5,300 cases — is caused by the Bundibugyo strain, which has no approved vaccine. The WHO is deploying Ervebo, approved only against the Zaire strain, with 20,000 of 70,000 pledged doses earmarked for a late-stage clinical trial. Animal data suggest possible cross-protection; no human efficacy evidence exists. The outbreak's transmission has not peaked and could triple, per Africa CDC.