Ebola vaccine reaches epicenter as officials race to contain Congo outbreak

KINSHASA, Congo — A United Nations peacekeeping helicopter delivered 400 doses of Ebola vaccine to the epicenter of a new outbreak in southern Congo on Friday as health officials warned limited access and funding shortfalls are hampering containment efforts.

The delivery to Bulape in Kasai province marked the first targeted vaccination shipment to the area since the outbreak was confirmed on Sept. 4, World Health Organization programme area manager Patrick Otim told a briefing in Geneva. An additional 1,500 doses are being dispatched from Kinshasa, he said.

Kasai, a remote region with poor road networks more than 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) from the capital, is experiencing its first Ebola outbreak in 18 years. Authorities and international partners have struggled to reach affected communities in the seven days since the initial confirmation, Otim said, prompting collaboration with the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Congo, MONUSCO, to move personnel and supplies by air.

Suspected case counts have climbed rapidly. Africa's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that suspected cases rose from 28 to 68, and that 16 deaths have been recorded. The WHO said the most recent confirmed case was located about 70 kilometers (43 miles) from Bulape, raising concern that infections could spread to additional health zones if response operations must be expanded.

"We have struggled in the last seven days with access but are collaborating with MONUSCO now," Otim said. "While we have ramped up efforts to have a full-scale response on the ground, we need to be able to pay for the operations."

The WHO has projected costs of about $20 million to respond to the outbreak over the next three months, while the Congolese national response plan is estimated at $78 million. Officials said recent reductions in U.S. funding for global health programs have complicated planning; the United States had supported past responses, including a 2021 effort in which the U.S. Agency for International Development provided up to $11.5 million to fight Ebola in the region.

Public health teams are focusing on rapidly identifying contacts, isolating suspected cases, tracing transmission chains and vaccinating persons at highest risk, WHO officials said. The delivery of vaccines is part of a ring-vaccination strategy used in previous outbreaks, but the approach depends on speedy access to affected villages and the availability of trained teams to administer doses and monitor recipients.

Congo has managed several Ebola outbreaks over the past decade, with responses involving national health authorities, the WHO, Africa CDC and international partners. The challenges in Kasai underscore the logistical and financial hurdles that can emerge when a new outbreak occurs in a remote, infrastructure-poor area.

Health officials cautioned that the situation remains fluid and that case counts and fatalities may change as surveillance teams gain better access. They reiterated calls for prompt funding and operational support to sustain contact tracing, case management, safe burials and vaccination activities aimed at preventing further spread.

The WHO and Congolese health authorities said they would continue to coordinate with MONUSCO, Africa CDC and other partners to scale up the response and to deploy additional personnel and supplies as needed. Further updates were expected as teams complete access missions and deliver more vaccines and medical equipment to the affected zones.