The World Health Organisation (WHO) has confirmed the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), will begin using a second Ebola vaccine as part of efforts to curtail the epidemic that has killed more than 2 000 people in the last 13 months.

The experimental vaccine, manufactured by the US-based firm Johnson & Johnson, will be introduced from mid-October in areas which did not have "active Ebola transmission", the UN health agency said in a statement on Monday.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Monday said the DRC authorities, in deciding to deploy the second experimental vaccine to extend protection against this deadly virus, have once again shown leadership and their determination to end this outbreak as soon as possible.

The Johnson & Johnson product will complement another experimental vaccine produced by US pharmaceutical giant Merck, which have been administered to approximately 225 000 people to date.