Ebola in DRC: launching of a study to document the vaccination of 20,000 healthcare workers

Bunia uðßSeptember 22nd, 2026 (CPA).- A study aiming to document the voluntary vaccination of 20,000 frontline workers, who are particularly at risk of contracting Bundibugyo virus disease, has been launched in Ituri and Nord-Kivu in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo by Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), according to a press release from the humanitarian organisation received on Tuesday by CPA. “This study aims to document the voluntary vaccination of 20,000 frontline workers who are particularly at risk of contracting Bundibugyo virus disease, in order to assess the use and potential efficacy of the ERVEBO vaccine under real-world conditions during an outbreak,” has explained Dr Guyguy Manangama, an epidemiologist and deputy director of operations at MSF, quoted in the press release. Called “BRAVO”, the same source continues, this study seeks to document the use and potential efficacy of the ERVEBO vaccine among frontline staff under real-world conditions during an outbreak. “Launched on September 19th, 2026, in Bunia, the study will run for six months, three of which will be devoted to vaccination. The participation and the administration of the vaccine are entirely voluntary,” it can also read. “This vaccination should be regarded as a complementary protective measure that may strengthen the response to the outbreak, but it is by no means a substitute for proven infection prevention and control measures,” MSF specifies. The study is being conducted in collaboration with the Ministry in charge of Health, Africa CDC and several scientific partners. It comes at a time when the Bundibugyo virus disease outbreak continues to affect several health zones in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. According to MSF, several vaccines specifically developed against the Bundibugyo virus are still in development and could become available in the coming months. Pending their availability, the ERVEBO vaccine is being offered as part of this study as a transitional measure designed to strengthen protection for staff particularly exposed to the outbreak, the organisation emphasises } ACP/