Congo on Thursday began vaccinating people against Ebola as health authorities work to slow the country’s deadliest outbreak of the disease on record.
Health workers and other people working on the front lines of the Ebola response are among the first to receive the vaccine. The current outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo type of Ebola virus. Ervebo, however, is approved to protect against a different type, known as Zaire ebolavirus. There is currently no approved vaccine specifically for Bundibugyo Ebola. The vaccine is being used under a compassionate-use program, which allows a medical product to be used in a serious disease situation even though it has not been specifically approved for that particular use. Kamba strongly encouraged health workers to get vaccinated, saying the vaccine could protect them from the disease and help prevent them from carrying the virus into their communities.
About 50,000 doses are intended for frontline and health workers, while another 20,000 will be used in a clinical trial to study whether the vaccine protects against Bundibugyo Ebola, the agency said.
“We have decided to use the Ervebo vaccine to protect first those who are on the front line, therefore our health care providers, but also people who have been in contact with patients,” Kamba said. Placide Mbala Kingebeni, Africa CDC’s director for research, clinical trials and innovation, said data will be collected during the vaccination campaign to measure how well the vaccine works.
