Health
DR Congo begins Ebola vaccination campaign for front-line workers
Health officials are administering the Ervebo vaccine under a compassionate-use program to combat what the WHO describes as the fastest-growing outbreak in history.
The short version
- The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has launched an Ebola vaccination campaign in Kisangani, prioritizing front-line healthcare responders.
- The ongoing outbreak, primarily caused by the Bundibugyo strain, has resulted in 2,744 deaths out of 5,713 confirmed cases, making it the deadliest in DRC history.
- The administered Ervebo vaccine is officially licensed for a different Ebola strain; its effectiveness against the Bundibugyo strain is currently being studied in clinical trials.
Key facts
- The DRC health ministry initiated its vaccination campaign in Kisangani, the capital of Tshopo province, to target front-line responders.[ABC News · Al Jazeera]
- Government figures show 5,713 confirmed cases and 2,744 deaths, marking this as the deadliest of the country's 17 recorded Ebola outbreaks.[ABC News · Al Jazeera]
- The World Health Organization stated that the outbreak remains out of control and is on track to surpass the 2014–2016 West Africa outbreak, which killed more than 11,000 people.[ABC News · Al Jazeera]
- The outbreak is concentrated in Ituri province and is spreading amid displacement, insecurity, a health workers' strike, and significant population movement.[ABC News · Al Jazeera]
- The DRC has received more than 50,000 of the 70,000 Ervebo vaccine doses approved for use by the WHO.[ABC News · Al Jazeera]
- Around 20,000 doses are designated for clinical trials to study the vaccine's efficacy against the Bundibugyo virus, which currently lacks a licensed vaccine or treatment.[ABC News · Al Jazeera]
What remains uncertain
- Because Ervebo is approved only for a different Ebola strain, it is currently unknown whether it can effectively prevent illness from the Bundibugyo virus, though the two strains are related.[ABC News · Al Jazeera]