Africa CDC urges urgent vaccine deployment as Ebola outbreak spreads across DR Congo

The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has called for the immediate deployment of the Ervebo Ebola vaccine in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), as the country's latest outbreak continues to expand.

Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya described the DRC government's decision to deploy the vaccine as "a big step" in the response to the rapidly escalating outbreak of Bundibugyo Ebola.

Speaking at an online briefing on Thursday, Kaseya said the DRC had requested 100,000 doses of Ervebo from the International Coordinating Group on Vaccine Provision. The doses would be used to support clinical trials, vaccinate frontline responders and provide protection to people at particularly high risk.

"The current emergency risks becoming the deadliest the country has faced, and we cannot allow that trajectory to continue," Kaseya said.

Outbreak spreads to sixth provinces

The Ebola outbreak has now spread to a sixth province, with 4,665 confirmed cases and 2,184 deaths recorded, according to the latest update from the DRC's public health authorities.

The health zone of Buta in Bas-Uele Province has been added to the list of affected areas, bringing the total number of affected health zones nationwide to 54.

The outbreak is currently affecting Bas-Uele, Haut-Uele, Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu and Tshopo provinces, with Ituri in northeastern DRC remaining the main epicenter. 

The overall case fatality rate among confirmed cases stands at 46.8%, while 965 people have recovered since the outbreak began.

The DRC declared the outbreak on May 15 after identifying the Bundibugyo ebolavirus, a relatively rare strain of Ebola for which there are currently no licensed vaccines specifically targeting the strain.

Vaccine deployment as an emergency strategy

Ervebo is a World Health Organization-prequalified, single-dose vaccine licensed to protect against Ebola virus disease caused by the Zaire ebolavirus strain. It has an established safety and deployment record from previous Ebola outbreaks.

While Ervebo is not specifically licensed for the Bundibugyo strain, Kaseya said its potential cross-protection, combined with the severity of the current outbreak, makes its deployment a strategic option.

He said the approach could help reduce severe illness and deaths while generating scientific evidence to inform the broader response to the outbreak.

The expanded use of Ervebo is expected to initially target people at particularly high risk, including eligible contacts of Ebola cases, healthcare workers, community health workers, burial teams, as well as religious and village leaders. People living or working in areas experiencing high transmission and repeated occupational exposure would also be prioritized.

The decision to expand the use of Ervebo was among the immediate measures agreed at a high-level crisis meeting held last week in Kinshasa between DRC President Felix Tshisekedi, Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya and World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

(With input from Xinhua News Agency)