Over the weekend health workers in Bunia, the city at the heart of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC’s) ongoing Ebola outbreak, were the first to receive doses of Ervebo vaccine in a trial that will determine if the vaccine, which targets the Zaire strain of the virus, will offer protection against the Bundibugyo strain.
The current outbreak officially began on May 15, though experts say the virus was likely circulating for weeks before it was officially recognized. To date, it is DRC’s largest outbreak and the second largest in history, following only the West African outbreak of 2014-2016. So far, the DRC has 7,541 confirmed cases, including 3,639 deaths, in the outbreak, which is entrenched in Ituri province in northeastern DRC.
“Our collective duty is to protect life. Launching this vaccination drive for front-line staff in Ituri is not an arbitrary choice, as these workers are particularly exposed and deeply involved in the response,” the military governor of Ituri, Maj. Gen. Gaby Kasongo Mulumba, said Saturday.
Last month, the World Health Organization announced 70,000 doses of Ervebo were en route to DRC for a real-world efficacy trial. The United Nations said 20,000 doses will be used among first responders to study whether the vaccine protects against Bundibugyo, in a compassionate-use program.
Outbreak hitting kids hard
Ervebo, created by Merck, was first approved in late 2019. Recent studies have shown the vaccine is 84% effective in protecting against Ebola infection within 10 days of vaccination. However, the vaccine has only been tested against the more common Ebola-Zaire strain.
The Bundibugyo strain has only caused three outbreaks since it was discovered in 2007. This current outbreak is deadly, with case-fatality rates hovering around 48% and transmission occurring at high rates throughout the community.
The UN also said children are being heavily affected in the current outbreak, with children accounting for one in four cases and one in three deaths. Among children 5 years and under, the case-fatality rate is 60%.
