DR Congo begins vaccinations to fight fastest-growing Ebola outbreak

The Democratic Republic of 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 workers in the Ebola response are being prioritised to receive the Ervebo vaccine that was effective in past Ebola outbreaks caused by a different, more common type.

Clinical trials are going on to find a licensed vaccine for the strain responsible 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 launch of the vaccination campaign in Kisangani, the capital of Tshopo province.

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Tshopo is one of the six provinces affected by Ebola in the east.

As of Friday there have been 5,794 confirmed cases, including 2,786 deaths, the latest figures from the DR Congo government shows.

It is concentrated in Ituri province and is known to be the deadliest of all past 17 Ebola outbreaks in the country.

The outbreak is spreading under extremely difficult conditions, fuelled by insecurity, displacement, a health workers’ strike and intense population movements.

Friday’s update shows the situation appears to be worsening, with the outbreak spreading to two new health zones – Biena and Manguredjipa, in the North Kivu province

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said it remains out of control and is on track to surpass the 2014-2016 West Africa Ebola outbreak, the deadliest on record, which killed more than 11,000 people, primarily in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

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More than 50,000 doses of the Ervebo vaccine have been received, according to The Democratic Republic of Congo’s state news agency.

WHO said last week that 70,000 doses of Ervebo had been approved for use in The Democratic Republic of Congo.

About 50,000 doses are intended for frontline and health workers, while 20,000 doses will be used in a clinical trial to study whether the vaccine protects against Bundibugyo virus, which is causing the current outbreak and has no licensed vaccine nor treatment.

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.

Health authorities said Ervebo could offer some protection against the Bundibugyo virus because the two viruses are related.

But whether the vaccine can actually prevent illness in people infected with Bundibugyo Ebola is still being studied.

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.

The campaign is expected to cover 14 health zones in Tshopo, Bas-Uele and Haut-Uele provinces.

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.

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