Congo on Thursday began vaccinating people against Ebola as health authorities work to slow the fastest-growing outbreak of the disease in history.
Health workers and other frontline responders are being prioritized to receive the Ervebo vaccine, which proved effective in past outbreaks caused by a different, more common type of the virus. Clinical trials are underway to find a licensed vaccine for the current outbreak.
“We have decided to use the Ervebo vaccine to protect first those who are on the front line”, Health Minister Roger Kamba said at the campaign’s launch in Kisangani, capital of Tshopo province, one of six provinces affected in the east.
As of Tuesday, Congo had recorded 5,713 confirmed cases, including 2,744 deaths, government figures show. The outbreak, concentrated in Ituri province, is the deadliest of the country’s 17 past Ebola outbreaks, spreading amid insecurity, displacement, a health workers’ strike and intense population movements. The WHO says it remains out of control and is on track to surpass the 2014-2016 West Africa outbreak, the deadliest on record with more than 11,000 deaths.
How the Vaccine Is Being Used
More than 50,000 doses of Ervebo have been received, Congo’s state news agency said, of the 70,000 the WHO approved last week. About 50,000 doses are for frontline and health workers, while 20,000 will be used in a clinical trial studying whether the vaccine protects against the Bundibugyo virus behind the current outbreak, which has no licensed vaccine or treatment.
The vaccine is being used under a compassionate-use program, allowing its use in a serious disease situation without specific approval. Health authorities say Ervebo could offer some protection against Bundibugyo since the viruses are related, though whether it can prevent illness in infected people is still being studied. Africa CDC’s Placide Mbala Kingebeni said data will be collected during the campaign to measure its effectiveness. The rollout is expected to cover 14 health zones across Tshopo, Bas-Uele and Haut-Uele provinces.
Kamba strongly encouraged health workers to get vaccinated, saying it could protect them and help prevent them from carrying the virus into their communities.
- Source: AP