Congo begins Ebola vaccinations to fight country's worst outbreak on record, health minister says
The Democratic Republic of Congo has launched a vaccination campaign using the Ervebo vaccine to combat the country's deadliest Ebola outbreak on record. While the vaccine is primarily designed for the Zaire ebolavirus, health officials are administering it under a compassionate-use program to address the current Bundibugyo strain while collecting data on its efficacy.
Why it matters
This outbreak is spreading rapidly amidst regional instability and a lack of a specifically approved vaccine for the Bundibugyo strain, making this campaign a critical test for public health intervention in high-risk zones.
Congo on Thursday began vaccinating people against Ebola as health authorities work to slow the country's deadliest outbreak of the disease on record.
The vaccination campaign was officially launched in Kisangani, the capital of Tshopo province, in the country's east, Health Minister Roger Kamba said.
Health workers and other people working on the front lines of the Ebola response are among the first to receive the vaccine.
“We have decided to use the Ervebo vaccine to protect first those who are on the front line, therefore our health care providers, but also people who have been in contact with patients,” Kamba said.
The outbreak has so far affected six provinces in Congo, including Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Tshopo, Haut-Uele and Bas-Uele.
As of Tuesday, the country had recorded 5,713 confirmed cases, including 2,744 deaths, according to government figures. The overall death rate among confirmed cases was about 48%.
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