KIGALI, Aug 22 — The Democratic Republic of Congo received the first batch of 16,520 doses of the Ervebo Ebola vaccine to contain the Ebola virus, health authorities said late Friday.
Anadolu Ajansı reported that Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba said over 50,000 doses are expected by Monday.
“These doses would strengthen the government’s response to Ebola and contribute to the protection of populations, with the support of our partners,” he told the media in Kinshasa.
On Thursday, the World Health Organisation announced that it would supply 70,000 vaccines to Congo from the global Ebola virus disease vaccine stockpile for a Phase Three clinical trial to better understand the vaccine's impact on the Bundibugyo virus and for use by frontline and health workers.
To date, no vaccine or specific treatment has been approved against the Bundibugyo virus.
The Ervebo vaccine is licensed and recommended for use in outbreaks of Ebola virus disease, previously called Zaire ebolavirus.
According to the latest Congolese Health Ministry situation update, the confirmed infections in the current Ebola outbreak have reached 5,290 cases, including more than 2,500 deaths.
On Friday, Doctors Without Borders warned that communities in Congo are not receiving adequate support to contain the Ebola virus.
In a statement, it said training for health workers and community leaders on case detection, referrals, and infection prevention and control measures must be urgently bolstered in communities affected by the outbreak.
The latest epidemic has affected 56 health zones across six provinces: Haut-Uele, Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Bas-Uele, and Tshopo since the outbreak was declared in mid-May.
