Congo begins Ebola vaccinations amid deadly outbreak
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The Democratic Republic of Congo started vaccinating healthcare workers against Ebola in Bunia on Saturday, responding to the country’s fastest-growing outbreak of the disease.
Health authorities prioritized frontline workers with the Ervebo vaccine, which has proven effective against the more common Zaire strain of the virus. Nikole Landu, a healthcare worker, explained she received the vaccine to reduce her risk of developing a severe case of the disease given her frequent contact with sick people.
The rollout focuses on the Bunia and Mongbwalu zones within Ituri province, areas experiencing the highest number of infections. While Ervebo may offer some protection against the Bundibugyo virus causing the current outbreak, because the viruses are related, officials are still studying its effectiveness against this specific strain. As of Saturday, Congo had reported 7,541 confirmed Ebola cases and 3,639 deaths during this outbreak, making it the deadliest of the 17 outbreaks the country has faced.
The World Health Organization warns this outbreak may exceed the 2014-2016 West Africa Ebola outbreak, which killed over 11,000 people, and is occurring amid challenging conditions including insecurity and a health workers’ strike. The government has approved 70,000 doses of Ervebo, with 50,000 designated for frontline workers and 20,000 for trials testing protection against the Bundibugyo virus.
