Congo to receive 70,000 doses of Ervebo Ebola vaccine which has been effective in past outbreaks

BUNIA, Congo (AP) — Congo will receive 70,000 doses of the Ervebo vaccine, which has been effective in past Ebola outbreaks, the World Health Organization and partners said Thursday, announcing a step seen as a major boost to efforts to contain what officials have described as the fastest Ebola outbreak in history.The Ervebo vaccine is licensed for use against Ebola virus, one of the viruses that cause Ebola disease, but not for Bundibugyo virus, which is responsible for the current outbreak which has so far killed 2,476 people out of the 5,208 confirmed casesWHO said in a statement that while it’s not known whether Ervebo may protect against the Bundibugyo virus, “early laboratory and animal data suggest it may provide some protection.”The allocation includes 20,000 doses for a Phase 3 clinical trial to understand the impact of the vaccine on the Bundibugyo virus, the agency said. The remaining 50,000 doses will be used for front-line and health workers as recommended by WHO experts.The outbreak raging in six provinces in eastern Congo has infected and killed more people at a greater speed than any other Ebola outbreak in history, and is spreading about three times faster compared to the 2014-2016 outbreak across West Africa — the deadliest Ebola outbreak on record with more than 11,000 deaths.The International Coordinating Group on Vaccine Provision, which includes WHO and other partners, said the doses will be released immediately following a request from Congo’s government.WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called the approval “an important example of global solidarity in action.” He said the agency and its partners remain committed to supporting strengthened surveillance, rapid detection, quality care, community engagement and vaccination efforts to bring the outbreak under control.The lack of approved vaccines or treatments for the rare Bundibugyo virus has been a major issue for responders. Most new cases have been reported outside of the people being monitored, showing the virus continues to spread faster than efforts to track it.

That has been a key contributor to the recorded deaths.The case fatality rate so far is 47.5% although it is far worse in some places where response efforts are more challenging, such as in North Kivu province where the fatality rate is up to 70%.Experts believe the virus began spreading from the mining town o… The vaccine release came after a request from DR Congo last week, as Ebola cases exceeded 5,000 and deaths topped 2,300 in three months. (EPA Images pic)GENEVA: The World Health Organization said Thursday that the Ebola-hit Democratic Republic of Congo would receive 70,000 doses of a vaccine approved for protecting against the virus, but not the strain spreading in the country.The doses of the Ervebo vaccine, which has proved safe and effective against the Zaire strain of Ebola virus, are being released by the International Coordination Group for Vaccine Provision for trials and limited use in the response to the deadly outbreak of the less common Bundibugyo strain of the virus, the WHO said in a statement.The release came after a request last week from the government in the DRC, which has recorded more than 5,000 Ebola cases, including over 2,300 deaths, since the outbreak was declared three months ago, making it its deadliest on record.The country had been informed of the "immediate" release of the doses on Monday, the WHO said."The allocation includes 20,000 doses for a Phase 3 clinical trial to understand the impact of the vaccine on the Bundibugyo virus, and 50,000 doses for frontline and health workers," the UN health agency added.Those uses were "in line with the current recommendations of the WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE)", it stressed.Declared on May 15, the DRC's 17th Ebola outbreak is thought to have already been spreading for several weeks by that point.It has hit regions in the north and east where the presence of the state is weak, health infrastructure is largely lacking and myriad armed groups have roamed for decades.Ebola is spread by contact with bodily fluids and causes a haemorrhagic fever.

It has killed more than 15,000 people in Africa over the past 50 years.There is no approved vaccine or specific treatment for the Bundibugyo virus strain behind the current surge.Earlier this month, WHO vaccine experts recommended a full-scale human trial of Ervebo, the only existing approved Ebola vaccine, to see if it offered cross-protection against the Bundibugyo strain.The Ervebo vaccine has proved safe and successful in defending against the more common Zaire strain. WHO experts said that early data, notably from animal trials, showed it may also give some protection against Bundibugyo. Also, most new cases are being reported outside of the people being monitored, showing it has spread quickly and left surveillance teams racing to catch up.

The Ervebo vaccine is licensed for use against Ebola virus, one of the viruses that cause Ebola disease, but not for Bundibugyo virus, which is responsible for the current outbreak which has so far killed 2,476 people out of the 5,208 confirmed cases WHO said in a statement that while it’s not known whether Ervebo may protect against the Bundibugyo virus, “early laboratory and animal data suggest it may provide some protection.” The allocation includes 20,000 doses for a Phase 3 clinical trial to understand the impact of the vaccine on the Bundibugyo virus, the agency said. The outbreak raging in six provinces in eastern Congo has infected and killed more people at a greater speed than any other Ebola outbreak in history, and is spreading about three times faster compared to the 2014-2016 outbreak across West Africa — the deadliest Ebola outbreak on record with more than 11,000 deaths. The International Coordinating Group on Vaccine Provision, which includes WHO and other partners, said the doses will be released immediately following a request from Congo’s government.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called the approval “an important example of global solidarity in action.” He said the agency and its partners remain committed to supporting strengthened surveillance, rapid detection, quality care, community engagement and vaccination efforts to bring the outbreak under control. The lack of approved vaccines or treatments for the rare Bundibugyo virus has been a major issue for responders. That has been a key contributor to the recorded deaths.

The case fatality rate so far is 47.5% although it is far worse in some places where response efforts are more challenging, such as in North Kivu province where the fatality rate is up to 70%. Experts believe the virus began spreading from the mini… BUNIA, Congo (AP) — Congo to receive 70,000 doses of Ervebo Ebola vaccine which has been effective in past outbreaks.