Ebola outbreak exposes vaccine gap for rare virus strain

22 May 2026

Healthcare intelligence firm GlobalData says the latest Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda is exposing a major weakness in the world’s preparedness for rare viral strains, despite years of investment in Ebola vaccines and treatments.

The warning follows the World Health Organization’s decision to declare the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. The WHO has reported 53 confirmed cases, around 600 suspected infections and 139 suspected deaths linked to the outbreak.

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