DR Congo begins receiving Ervebo Ebola vaccine doses for Bundibugyo outbreak response

70,000 Ervebo vaccine doses have been sent to DR Congo in hope they prove effective against the Bundibugyo strain.

Authorities are deploying a vaccine already proven against a related Ebola strain as trials continue on a new jab designed specifically for Bundibugyo virus.

There is finally a development in the Democratic Republic of Congo's Ebola crisis that offers some room for optimism. The DRC has been allocated doses of Ervebo, an Ebola vaccine, from the global vaccine stockpile following a request from the government. The World Health Organization and Africa CDC welcomed the allocation on 20 August, describing it as an important addition to the response to the country's rapidly expanding outbreak. But there is an important complication.

The Ervebo vaccine is most effective against the Zaire strain of the Ebola virus, however the WHO said it may provide some protection against the current Bundibugyo strain.

The doses are the first of 70,000 allocated for Kinshasa as experts warn of the virus's exponential spread.

BUNIA, Congo — Congo has received more than 16,000 doses of the Ervebo vaccine as the country grapples with the fastest Ebola outbreak in history, the country's health minister said. The 16,250 doses arrived at the N’djili International Airport in the capital, Kinshasa, late Friday, as part of 70,000 doses expected from the World Health Organization and partners that were announced on Thursday. More doses are expected early next week. The current Ebola outbreak in Congo is caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus, which currently has no approved treatment or vaccine. It can spread easily and go undetected because some of its symptoms are similar to other illnesses, such as malaria. The Ervebo vaccine is licensed to treat Ebola and has been effective in past outbreaks. The WHO said it may provide some protection against the Bundibugyo virus. The latest outbreak, which has recorded 2,516 deaths out of the 5,290 confirmed cases as at Friday, is spreading at an unprecedented rate and is on track to surpass the deadliest outbreak on record, which killed over 11,000 people across West Africa b

The Ervebo vaccine "has already been used several times, and in particular on a very large scale during the 2018-2020 outbreak", says Samuel Roger Kamba, the DRC's Minister of Health

Merck's Ervebo vaccine is approved for the Zaire strain, while its effectiveness against the Bundibugyo strain driving the current outbreak remains uncertain.

DRC receives 70,000 Ervebo vaccine doses, with 20,000 for a Phase III trial against Bundibugyo virus and 50,000 for frontline and health workers. The post Ebola: DRC gets 70,000 Ervebo vaccine doses as Bundibugyo outbreak worsens appeared first on Premium Times Nigeria.

By Chioma Obinna The Democratic Republic of the Congo, DRC, has secured an initial 70,000 doses of Ervebo vaccine from the global Ebola vaccine stockpile as health authorities intensify efforts to contain the ongoing Bundibugyo virus disease outbreak. The release followed a request by the DRC government to the International Coordinating Group on Vaccine Provision, […] The post 70,000 Ebola vaccines released to DRC as Bundibugyo outbreak persists appeared first on Vanguard News.

Last week, the DRC had requested a release of Ervebo vaccines from the global Ebola virus disease vaccine stockpile, managed by the International Coordinating Group (ICG) on Vaccine Provision.

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."

GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP)—The World Health Organization (WHO) 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 United Nations 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. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus welcomed the decision, and hailed it as "an important example of global solidarity in action". 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

(MedPage Today) -- Congo will receive 70,000 doses of the rVSVΔG-ZEBOV-GP (Ervebo) vaccine, which has been effective in past Ebola outbreaks, the World Health Organization (WHO) and partners said Thursday, announcing a step seen as a major...

WHO says vaccines for Ebola virus disease being allocated to DRC amid largest outbreak that has killed nearly 2,500.

The Ervebo vaccine is licensed for use against Ebola virus, one of the viruses that cause Ebola disease, but not for Bundibugyo virus.

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.

The International Coordinating Group on Vaccine Provision, which includes the WHO and other partners, said the doses will be released immediately following a request from DR Congo’s government.

The WHO said the vaccine, which has proved safe and effective against the Zaire strain, is being released for trials and limited use against the Bundibugyo Ebola strain.

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.

Congo gets Ervebo doses as Ebola outbreak surges

The World Health Organization says Congo will receive 70,000 doses of the Ervebo vaccine