Home · Health · Aug 27 archive
Congo Launches Ebola Vaccination Campaign
Confirmed
In Short: The Democratic Republic of the Congo has begun vaccinating healthcare and front-line workers in Kisangani against the Ebola outbreak, with over 50,000 doses of the Ervebo vaccine available.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo has launched a vaccination campaign in Kisangani, the capital of Tshopo province, to combat an Ebola outbreak. Health workers and other front-line personnel are among the first to receive the Ervebo vaccine.
Health Minister Samuel-Roger Kamba stated that the campaign would initially focus on provinces surrounding Ituri, where the outbreak was first detected, before expanding to other affected areas. The campaign aims to protect those in direct contact with Ebola patients as well.
Dr. Placide Mbala-Kingebeni, of the DRC’s National Institute of Biomedical Research, explained that the Ervebo vaccine, which was used during a 2018 outbreak, might provide some cross-protection against Bundibugyo, another Ebola virus. He cited anecdotal reports of vaccinated health workers being less severely affected during the current outbreak.
To date, there have been 5,794 confirmed cases and 2,786 deaths in the ongoing outbreak, though the actual numbers are likely higher. The World Health Organization has classified the outbreak as a public health emergency of international concern, emphasizing the need for drastic scale-ups in isolation and treatment centers, infection prevention measures, and community engagement.
What's confirmed
- The vaccination campaign was launched in Tshopo province, one of six eastern DRC provinces affected in the outbreak.
What's still developing
- The campaign was launched Thursday in Kisangani, the capital of Tshopo province, with healthcare workers and others on the front lines among the first to receive the vaccine.
- “We have started the compassionate use of the Ervebo vaccine among frontline workers and healthcare workers,” Placide Mbala-Kingebeni, MD, PhD, of the DRC’s National Institute of Biomedical Research, said yesterday…
- Mbala-Kingebeni said data from animal studies have indicated Ervebo might provide some cross-protection against Bundibugyo, which has no licensed vaccines or treatments.
- He also cited anecdotal reports that some health workers in DRC who received the Ervebo vaccine during a 2018 Ebola outbreak and have been infected in the current outbreak aren’t getting as sick as colleagues who…
- “This is why the government of DRC, together with Africa CDC, decided to see how we can use the Ervebo vaccine for compassionate use,” he said.
- To date, there have been 5,794 confirmed cases and 2,786 deaths in the outbreak, though DRC officials have said the actual numbers could be much higher.
- The IHR Emergency Committee called for drastic scale-ups of Ebola isolation and treatment centers, infection prevention and control measures, and trust-building and community engagement.
- Health Minister Samuel-Roger Kamba said more than 50,000 doses of the Ervebo vaccine had been received, with health workers and other frontline personnel among those being prioritised.