The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced that a vaccine trial is expected to begin later this month in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) as part of efforts to determine whether an existing Ebola vaccine can protect against the ongoing outbreak of Bundibugyo virus disease.
WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced the planned trial during a media briefing on October 7, disclosing the organisation was also working to ensure access to the vaccine should it prove effective in the trial.
The announcement comes as the outbreak continues to affect parts of the DRC and has spread across borders, with Kenya reporting its first imported case after a Kenyan citizen became infected in the DRC, travelled through Uganda and later arrived in Nairobi. The patient was isolated after arrival but died on October 5.
“A vaccine trial is expected to start later this month, and we are working on ensuring access to these products should they prove efficacious in trials.” he stated.
Tedros stated that the DRC had recorded 8,665 confirmed cases and 4,178 confirmed deaths. He noted that while there were clear signs that transmission was slowing in some areas, the epidemic was still growing in others, with new hotspots emerging, including areas close to the border with South Sudan.
However, he noted that contact tracing had improved significantly since the outbreak began, with around 2,000 alerts being reported every day, while approximately five million people had been reached through community engagement activities.
Clinical trials of therapeutics are also progressing, with more than 600 people enrolled, according to Tedros. However, he said significant challenges remained, including the fact that most deaths were still occurring in communities rather than treatment centres and that contact tracing had not yet reached the level required.
The outbreak is also unfolding against the backdrop of a prolonged humanitarian crisis and insecurity in parts of the DRC, making access to affected communities and the delivery of health services more difficult. WHO said the outbreak is occurring in remote and densely populated areas with significant population and trade movements, further complicating efforts to contain transmission.
The planned vaccine trial follows an earlier decision to allocate 70,000 doses of Ervebo to the DRC. Of those, 20,000 doses were designated for a Phase 3 clinical trial to assess the vaccine’s impact against Bundibugyo virus, while 50,000 doses were allocated for frontline and health workers under current WHO recommendations.
Ervebo is licensed and recommended for outbreaks caused by Zaire ebolavirus, but it is not known whether it protects people against Bundibugyo virus. WHO said laboratory and animal studies have suggested that it may provide some protection, making the clinical trial important for determining whether the vaccine could be used against the current outbreak.
The Bundibugyo virus involved in the current outbreak is a species of Ebola virus for which there is currently no approved vaccine or specific treatment. WHO says candidate medical countermeasures are being evaluated as part of the response.
Tedros credited communities and response partners for the progress made in recent months but warned that the situation remained serious.
“These advances are the result of hard work over many months, by communities and partners under the leadership of the government” he stated.
WHO is continuing to support the DRC and neighbouring countries with surveillance, contact tracing, clinical preparedness, laboratory capacity and community engagement as authorities work to contain transmission and prevent further cross-border spread.
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