DRC begins vaccinating front-line healthcare workers against Ebola

Video Duration 01 minutes 42 seconds 01: 42. DR Congo Ebola outbreak: Health workers vaccinated as virus spreads.

Key points

• The WHO has remarked it remains out of control and is on track to surpass the 2014-2016 West Africa Ebola outbreak, the deadliest on record.
• More than 50, 000 doses of the vaccine have been received, according to the Congolese health minister, Samuel Roger Kamba.
• The World Health Organization (WHO) remarked last week that 70, 000 doses of the Ervebo vaccine had been approved for apply in the DRC.
• As of Tuesday, the DRC had recorded 5, 713 confirmed cases of Ebola, including 2, 744 deaths, according to administration figures.
• Regarding 20, 000 of the doses allocated to the DRC will be employed in a clinical trial to test its effectiveness against the latest strain.

Meanwhile, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has begun vaccinating individuals against Ebola, with health workers and other front-line workers being prioritised.

Nevertheless, the vaccine being distributed this week is licensed for another strain, and its effectiveness against the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola has not been determined.

There is at present no approved vaccine or treatment for the new strain, and clinical trials are ongoing to find a suitable vaccine for the Bundibugyo strain.

For context, the first injections are being given to health workers in the Congolese city of Kisangani.

More than 50, 000 doses of the vaccine have been received, according to the Congolese health minister, Samuel Roger Kamba. The outbreak is concentrated in the Ituri province. It borders Uganda.

Kamba remarked: "We will cover all the provinces that are around Ituri, moving in the ring towards the centre of the outbreak."

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) remarked last week that 70, 000 doses of the Ervebo vaccine had been approved for apply in the DRC.

Regarding 20, 000 of the doses allocated to the DRC will be employed in a clinical trial to test its effectiveness against the latest strain. Health workers are calling for more doses.

As of Tuesday, the DRC had recorded 5, 713 confirmed cases of Ebola, including 2, 744 deaths, according to administration figures. The outbreak is the deadliest of all past Ebola outbreaks that have hit the DRC.

Meanwhile, the outbreak is spreading under extremely tough conditions, fuelled by insecurity, displacement, a health workers' strike and intense population movements.

For context, the WHO has remarked it remains out of control and is on track to surpass the 2014-2016 West Africa Ebola outbreak, the deadliest on record. It killed more than 11, 000 residents, primarily in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

For now, DRC begins vaccinating front-line healthcare workers against Ebola remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.