Today the World Health Organization (WHO) announced it has allocated 70,000 Ervebo doses for use in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to help combat its fast-growing Ebola outbreak.
Ervebo is a vaccine targeting Ebola Zaire, the most common strain of the hemorrhagic fever, and not Bundibugyo, the strain causing the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak ever recorded. The announcement follows the DRC’s official request to release the vaccines from the stockpile managed by the International Coordinating Group (ICG) on Vaccine Provision.
Twenty-thousand doses of the vaccine will be used in a late-stage, phase 3 trial to see if the vaccine offers cross-protection to Ebola Bundibugyo. The other 50,000 doses are for frontline healthcare workers in line with the current recommendations of the WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization.
The global vaccine alliance, Gavi, said today it will provide $7 million to fund the shipment to the DRC, along with another $6 million to help with vaccination efforts in high-risk areas and prepare for future immunizations.
This is already the largest Ebola outbreak in DRC’s history, and could well become the largest outbreak ever.
“This is already the largest Ebola outbreak in DRC’s history, and could well become the largest outbreak ever,” said Gavi CEO Sania Nishtar, MD, PhD, in an earlier news release. “Given the terrible toll on communities and frontline workers, we are encouraged that the approved Ebola vaccine Ervebo—readily available through our Gavi-funded global stockpile—could help reduce severe illness and deaths.”
WHO cautions about informed consent
“It is not known whether Ervebo may be protective against the Bundibugyo virus in humans. Early laboratory and animal data suggest it may provide some protection,” the WHO said. “The clinical trial is expected to provide important new evidence, which is essential for policy-makers to inform future use of the Ervebo vaccine.”
Ervebo was first used during the world’s largest Ebola event, the West African outbreak of 2014-2016. It was used under emergency authorizations in 2016 in Guinea and 2018 through 2020 in the DRC. In 2019, the US Food and Drug Administration authorized its use for the prevention of Ebola Zaire in people 12 years and older. The effectiveness of the vaccine is estimated to be 84% against Ebola Zaire.
“It is key that the people offered the vaccine, in the trial and otherwise, receive information of the risks, potential benefits and limitations related to the use of the vaccine in an outbreak of Bundibugyo virus and are able to provide informed consent,” the WHO said.
The Ebola outbreak is now the second deadliest in history, with 2,478 deaths among 5,229 cases.
