DRC frontline workers receive Ebola vaccine during outbreak
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Health workers and other frontline personnel in Beni, Democratic Republic of Congo, began receiving the Ervebo vaccine on Friday as the country battles a growing Ebola outbreak.
The vaccine, previously effective against the Zaire strain of Ebola, may offer some protection against the Bundibugyo virus currently causing the outbreak, though studies are ongoing to confirm this. Health authorities are deploying the vaccine through a compassionate-use program, allowing its use before full approval due to the urgent situation.
The current outbreak, concentrated in Ituri province, is the deadliest of 17 Ebola outbreaks in the DRC. As of Wednesday, the Health Ministry reported 9,066 confirmed cases and 4,381 deaths. The World Health Organization fears this outbreak could exceed the 2014-2016 West Africa Ebola outbreak, which killed over 11,000 people in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. Dr.
Mohamed Janabi of the WHO stated that 2,400 people have survived Ebola during this outbreak, and the organization approved 70,000 doses of Ervebo for use in the country, with 50,000 doses designated for frontline workers and 20,000 for clinical trials.
