&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "DR Congo launches Ebola vaccination drive in Bunia for health workers, death toll nears 3,700")
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) rolled out a vaccination drive for Ebola virus on Saturday in Bunia, the capital of Ituri province in the northeastern part of the country. Ituri is considered the epicentre of the fastest-growing outbreak of Ebola in history. Major-General Gaby Kasongo Mulumba, who is acting as the provincial governor, stated that health workers there are particularly exposed and deeply involved in the response. Health officials also confirmed that the operation, backed by the World Health Organisation and Doctors Without Borders, will also target North Kivu, where cases have been rising sharply.
It is estimated that around 50,000 health and other frontline workers will be vaccinated with the Ervebo vaccine. Basically, it was developed for use against the more common Zaire strain. The vaccine's effectiveness against the current Ebola outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the virus, will be tracked in 20,000 recipients over a period of up to one year.
Clinical trials underway
Clinical trials are currently underway to identify a licensed vaccine for this outbreak, which so far has no approved vaccine or proven treatment. “We don’t know to what degree it might be effective against the Bundibugyo strain,” Steve Ahuka, a Congolese official who is part of the health task force against the Ebola outbreak, said.
At a health facility in Bunia, Dr Jeannot Elua said the vaccine was “beneficial”. “We healthcare workers don’t really have a choice. We are going to receive it,” he told the Associated Press news agency. “Some people here had already received the previous vaccine. I received it myself, because it was mandatory.”
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According to WHO experts, early data, largely drawn from animal trials, suggests the Ervebo vaccine could offer some level of protection in the current outbreak. Since May, the virus has claimed at least 3,639 lives and infected approximately 7,541 people, while around 1,823 people have recovered, based on the latest figures from local authorities.
In August, the WHO announced that 70,000 doses of Ervebo had been approved for use in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The vaccine is being administered under a compassionate-use programme, which permits the use of a medical product in serious disease situations even without specific approval for that use.
