DRC Escalates Ebola Response with Expanded Access to Merck Vaccine and Gilead Drug

The Democratic Republic of Congo is escalating its response to the largest Ebola outbreak on record by expanding access to Merck & Co's vaccine and Gilead Sciences' antiviral drug.

Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention officials, along with Congolese authorities, are set to widen use of these products across two provinces in eastern DRC. Since the outbreak was declared 12 weeks ago, almost 4,000 confirmed cases and over 1,800 deaths have been reported.

The decision aims to combat the rapidly growing epidemic, which has outpaced traditional control measures.