The Democratic Republic of Congo has began vaccinating people against Ebola as authorities race to contain the country’s deadliest outbreak of the disease on record.
The campaign was launched on Thursday in Kisangani, the capital of Tshopo province, with healthcare workers and others on the front lines among the first to receive the vaccine.
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Dr. Samuel-Roger Kamba, Health Minister, Democratic Republic of Congo said, “ in collaboration with all our technical and financial partners, and in consultation with our leading scientists, we have decided to use the tried-and true Ervebo vaccine to protect those on the front line-our healthcare providers”.
Dr Samuel also said; “they will move on to people who have had significant contact with patients so that we can protect them as well, and finally, if all of this is formally confirmed, we are going to expand the vaccine rollout to include all at-risk individuals.”
The outbreak has spread across six provinces, including Tshopo, Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uele and Bas-Uele.
Government figures show more than 5,700 confirmed cases and 2,700 deaths, with a fatality rate of about 48% among confirmed cases.
The World Health Organisation has warned the outbreak remains out of control and could surpass the 2014-2016 Ebola epidemic in West Africa, which killed more than 11,000 people.
More than 50,000 doses of Ervebo have arrived in Congo, with additional doses allocated for a clinical trial.
But there is a major challenge: the current outbreak is caused by Bundibugyo Ebola, while Ervebo is approved against the Zaire strain. There is no approved vaccine specifically for Bundibugyo Ebola.
The initial vaccination campaign is expected to cover 14 health zones, prioritising frontline workers and people exposed to infected patients.
African News
