USD1 million has been set aside for the Ebola vaccination exercise in DR Congo
Even though Ebola virus disease has reemerged in DR Congo, the response to the latest outbreak has a new tool, the Ebola vaccine. Today, Dr Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, revealed that the deployment of the Ebola vaccine to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) could give a vital boost to efforts to contain the disease, , said today during a visit to the country.
“Health workers will be the first to receive the vaccine today, as they are the ones most likely to be exposed to the Ebola virus,” said Dr Berkley. “We all owe a debt of gratitude to the health workers risking their lives to prevent this disease from spreading further.”
healthnews.africa gathered that a ring vaccination method, which is the same used to eradicate smallpox, will be used.
This method controls an outbreak by identifying and offering the vaccine to contacts and contacts of contacts of anyone who is likely to be infected by an individual who contracts Ebola. This forms a buffer of immune individuals to prevent the spread of the disease.
Gavi is providing US$1 million towards the vaccination drive. Gavi’s funding will support the deployment of health workers, transport, critical supplies and other operations. The vaccination will be implemented by the Government of DRC and partners including WHO, which is leading and coordinating the international health response, and Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF).
“This is an important step for a vaccine with huge potential. Clinical trials have shown that the Ebola vaccine is safe and highly effective,” said Dr Seth Berkley. “The DRC government, alongside the WHO, MSF and others, are working hard to slow the spread of Ebola. We now hope that deploying the vaccine will give a vital boost to these efforts, helping to defeat this outbreak.”
The DRC Ministry of Health announced that 5,400 doses of the vaccine, provided by Merck for compassionate use, had been delivered to DRC by the WHO and a further 4,000 doses are on their way. These will be used in affected areas in the northwest of the country, where 46 suspected, probable and confirmed cases of Ebola and 26 deaths have been reported.
“Getting these vaccines to the people who need them will be an enormous logistical challenge,” added Dr Berkley. “They will need to be transported to one of the most remote parts of the DRC, where there are next to no paved roads, electricity or telecommunications, at a temperature of minus 60 to minus 80 degrees Centigrade.”
In December 2016 WHO published the results from a ring vaccination trial held in Guinea, showing that the Ebola vaccine (rVSV-ZEBOV) provides substantial protection and is safe for use. Among the thousands of people who consented to be vaccinated, no cases of Ebola virus disease occurred 10 or more days after vaccination.
The vaccine has gone through Phase 3 trials but has not yet been licensed by relevant regulatory authorities. While the vaccine goes through the licensing process, an agreement between Gavi and Merck, the developer of rVSV-ZEBOV, ensures that 300,000 investigational doses of the vaccine are available in case of an outbreak. It is these doses that will be used in the DRC.
This agreement, an Advance Purchase Commitment announced in January 2016, is the first of its kind. It was designed to incentivise the rapid development of the vaccine as well as guaranteeing investigational doses are available while licensure is being secured. Gavi committed US$5 million to buy doses of a fully licensed vaccine as and when it becomes available. In return, Merck agreed to create the emergency stockpile.