Health workers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo began receiving the Ervebo Ebola vaccine in Bunia, the capital of Ituri province, with about 50,000 health and other frontline workers set to receive it. The programme will study the vaccine’s effectiveness against the Bundibugyo virus in 20,000 recipients for up to one year.
Where the rollout is taking place
The campaign began in Ituri, which authorities identify as the epicentre of the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak in history. It will also target North Kivu, where cases have been rising sharply, according to health authorities. Read the context: Unpaid Ebola health workers walk out in DR Congo’s Ituri province.
The operation is backed by the World Health Organization and Doctors Without Borders, known by its French initials, MSF. Ituri provincial governor Major-General Gaby Kasongo Mulumba said health workers were particularly exposed and deeply involved in the response.
Why the vaccine is being studied
Ervebo was developed for the more common Zaire strain of Ebola, not the Bundibugyo virus causing the current outbreak. Congolese health official Steve Ahuka said it is not known how effective the vaccine will be against that strain.
The vaccine is being provided under a compassionate-use programme, which permits a medical product to be used in a serious disease situation even when it has not been specifically approved for that use. Clinical trials are continuing to seek a licensed vaccine for the outbreak, which has no licensed vaccine or proven treatment.
The outbreak’s reported toll
The virus has infected at least 7,541 people and killed 3,639 since May, while 1,823 people have recovered, according to the latest figures from local authorities.
WHO experts have pointed to early data, including animal-trial results, suggesting Ervebo could offer some protection. WHO officials have also cited encouraging signs that transmission may be slowing, but MSF said there was no clear evidence that the epidemic was under control.
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