WHO Announces New Ebola Vaccine Guidelines for the DRC

Children accompanied by their mothers receive routine vaccinations during a vaccination session at the Bunia health center in Ituri province in the Democratic Republic of Congo.by Shreya Komar (united nations)Friday, September 04, 2026Inter Press Service UNITED NATIONS, September 4 (IPS) - While Uganda announced the end of its Ebola outbreak last week, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) continues to battle its deadliest Ebola outbreak to date. As of September 1st, there have been over 6,000 cases, including over 3,000 deaths, with Ituri standing as the most affected province. In a post on X on September 2, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General for the World Health Organization (WHO) expressed his concern that most deaths were still occurring in communities rather than in treatment centres, and among people who were not known contacts. This implies that there may be several methods of transmission that are unknown and several underreported cases. “Until every chain is broken, the epidemic will continue to pose a threat to the DRC, its neighbours and the region as a whole,” said Dr. Tedros. The outbreak has spread substantially, and with continued transmission, high mortal...