DRC Begins Ebola Vaccination Drive for Frontline Workers

Health and other frontline workers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have begun receiving the Ervebo Ebola vaccine as authorities respond to an outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo virus.

The vaccination campaign started on Saturday in Bunia, the capital of Ituri province in the country’s northeast. The operation is supported by the World Health Organization and Doctors Without Borders, known by its French initials MSF, and is also expected to cover North Kivu.

About 50,000 health and other frontline workers are due to receive the vaccine. The effectiveness of Ervebo against the current strain will be monitored among 20,000 recipients for up to one year.

Uncertainty over protection

Ervebo was developed for use against the more common Zaire strain of Ebola, while the current outbreak is linked to the Bundibugyo virus. Steve Ahuka, a Congolese official serving on the health task force responding to the outbreak, said the level of protection offered by Ervebo against Bundibugyo remains unclear.

“We don’t know to what degree it might be effective against the Bundibugyo strain,” Ahuka said.

WHO experts have said early evidence, particularly from animal trials, indicates that the vaccine could provide some protection. However, clinical trials are still under way to identify a licensed vaccine for the latest outbreak.

The Ervebo doses are being administered under a compassionate-use programme. Such programmes allow a medical product to be used in serious disease situations even when it has not been specifically approved for that particular use. The latest outbreak has no licensed vaccine or proven treatment.

Health workers at the centre of response

Ituri has been described as the epicentre of the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak in history. The governor of Ituri province, Major-General Gaby Kasongo Mulumba, said health workers were “particularly exposed and deeply involved in the response”.

Dr Jeannot Elua, speaking at a health facility in Bunia, described the vaccine as “beneficial”. He also said health workers had little choice but to accept vaccination as they continued responding to the outbreak.

“We healthcare workers don’t really have a choice. We are going to receive it,” Elua said.

He added that some people in the area had received an earlier Ebola vaccine, saying he had received it himself because it was mandatory.

Outbreak figures and concerns

Local authorities say at least 3,639 people have died and 7,541 have been infected since May. A total of 1,823 people have recovered, according to the same authorities.

The WHO has approved 70,000 doses of Ervebo for use in the DRC. WHO officials have pointed to “encouraging signs” that transmission may be slowing, but MSF has warned that there is no clear evidence the epidemic is coming under control.

The vaccination effort therefore combines immediate protection for people working on the frontline with continued monitoring of whether Ervebo can help limit transmission of the Bundibugyo strain.