As the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) struggles to control its largest-ever Ebola outbreak, the country is set to receive 70,000 doses of the Ervebo vaccine—a shot proven effective in previous outbreaks.
The announcement came from the World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday (August 21), stating that the doses have been allocated from the global Ebola vaccine stockpile. Of these, 20,000 doses will be used in a late-stage trial to assess the vaccine’s impact against the Bundibugyo virus, the strain behind the current outbreak.
According to the latest figures, the Ebola epidemic in the DRC has killed 2,476 people out of 5,208 confirmed cases.
The Ervebo vaccine is currently licensed for use against the Ebola virus—one of the viruses causing Ebola—but is not yet approved for the Bundibugyo strain. The WHO stressed, “It is not yet known whether Ervebo can protect people against the Bundibugyo virus,” and underscored the importance of clinical trials to generate new evidence. To date, no specific vaccine or treatment has been approved for the Bundibugyo virus.
The DRC government requested the release of Ervebo doses from the International Coordinating Group on Vaccine Provision last week. Following recommendations from the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization, the remaining 50,000 doses will be reserved for frontline and healthcare workers.
The Geneva-based vaccine alliance Gavi said it will fund $7 million for transportation of the vaccines to the DRC, along with an additional $6 million to support vaccination campaigns in high-risk areas.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus earlier this week described the Ebola outbreak in eastern DRC as a global emergency. UN Secretary-General spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said humanitarian agencies are warning of the disease’s continued spread while authorities work to rein it in.
The UN’s Senior Ebola Coordinator on the ground, Julian Harneis, said the government and partners are scaling up response efforts with five operational priorities, including tripling safe care capacity, boosting community engagement, doubling the number of safe and dignified burial teams, expanding disease surveillance, and increasing support for the most vulnerable populations.
With assistance from the UN and partners, the DRC government has also launched the “Ebola-free Congo River” initiative to strengthen response by reinforcing surveillance and preparedness.
The current outbreak was declared in mid-May, though some experts suspect the disease may have emerged as early as February.
