The World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Thursday the allocation of 70,000 doses of an Ebola vaccine for the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

“Last week, the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) requested a release of Ervebo vaccines from the global Ebola virus disease vaccine stockpile, managed by the International Coordinating Group on Vaccine Provision (ICG). The request was for use of the vaccine in the current Bundibugyo virus disease outbreak,” the WHO stated.

“Ervebo vaccine is licensed and recommended for use in outbreaks of Ebola virus disease (previously called Zaire ebolavirus). On Monday, the ICG informed the DRC government of an immediate initial release of 70 000 doses,” it continued.

“The allocation includes 20 000 doses for a Phase 3 clinical trial to understand the impact of the vaccine on the Bundibugyo virus, and 50 000 doses for frontline and health workers in line with the current recommendations of the WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE),” it added.

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The outbreak raging on in eastern Congo has so far killed 2,476 people out of the 5,208 confirmed cases.

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It has infected and killed more people at a greater speed than any other Ebola outbreak in history, and is spreading about three times faster than that of 2014-2016 across West Africa, which was the deadliest Ebola outbreak on record with more than 11,000 deaths.

The lack of approved vaccines or treatments for the rare Bundibugyo virus has been a major issue for responders. Also, most new cases are being reported outside of the people being monitored, showing it has spread quickly and left surveillance teams racing to catch up.

“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. Thus, the clinical trial is expected to provide important new evidence, which is essential for policy-makers to inform future use of the Ervebo vaccine,” the WHO stated.

“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,” it continued.

“The ICG partners are WHO, the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Médecins Sans Frontières and UNICEF. Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, provides funding for the stockpile,” it added.

Al Jazeera shared further:

Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the United Nations secretary-general, told reporters on Thursday that humanitarian agencies were warning of the continued spread of the outbreak as authorities seek to manage it.

“Our senior Ebola coordinator on the ground, Julian Harneis, said the government and our partners are scaling up the response with five operational priorities, including tripling safe care capacity, strengthening community engagement, doubling the number of safe and dignified burial teams and expanding disease surveillance and increasing support for the most vulnerable,” he said.

With support from the UN and its partners, the Congolese government also launched the “Congo River Without Ebola” initiative to intensify their response by strengthening disease surveillance and preparedness.

The current outbreak was declared in mid-May, but some experts suspect it began as early as February.

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