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Vaccination of frontline health workers and contacts of people infected with Ebola virus disease has begun in Bulape health zone in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Kasai Province where an outbreak of the disease has been declared.
An initial 400 doses of the Ervebo Ebola vaccine – from the country’s stockpile of 2000 doses prepositioned in the capital Kinshasa – have been delivered to Bulape, one of the current hotspots of the outbreak. Additional doses will be delivered to the affected localities in the coming days.
The vaccine is being administered through ring vaccination strategy, which entails vaccinating individuals at highest risk of infection after having come into contact with a patient confirmed with the virus. It is also recommended for health care and frontline workers responding to the outbreak who may be in contact with Ebola patients.
The Ervebo vaccine is said to be safe and protects against the Zaire ebolavirus species, which has been confirmed as the cause of the ongoing outbreak.
The International Coordinating Group on Vaccine Provision has approved around 45,000 additional Ebola vaccine doses to be shipped to the Democratic Republic of the Congo as part of the ongoing outbreak response. WHO supported the health authorities to develop the request for additional doses, and with partners, including UNICEF, also supported the development of a vaccination plan for the rollout of the doses. Vaccination teams are also being trained in data collection and receiving field support.
In addition to the vaccines, treatment courses of the monoclonal antibody therapy (Mab114) drug have also been sent to treatment centres in Bulape for clinical care.
On the ground, WHO has so far deployed 48 experts in disease surveillance, clinical care, infection prevention and control, logistics and community engagement who, along with partner organisations, are supporting the government to rapidly strengthen outbreak response measures to halt the spread of the virus.
In countries neighbouring the Democratic Republic of Congo, WHO is working with national authorities to bolster operational readiness to enable rapid detection of cases and prompt initiation of measures to curb further spread.
WHO assesses the overall public health risk posed by the ongoing outbreak as high at the national level, moderate at the regional level and low at the global level.
