WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) Tuesday issued new recommendations to address vaccination challenges in the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The recommendations include endorsing operational adjustments that make the vaccination process faster and adjusting the dosage based on available efficacy data.
The SAGE also suggested expanding the population eligible for vaccination with rVSV-ZEBOV-GP (developed by Merck & Co., Inc), introducing an additional experimental vaccine (developed by Johnson & Johnson), and redoubling ongoing efforts to train nurses, doctors and medical students from Ebola-affected communities to work on vaccination teams.
More than 111 000 people have been vaccinated in the DRC since the outbreak was declared in August 2018.
However, despite the use of a highly efficacious vaccine, the number of new cases continues to rise, in part due to repeated incidents of violence affecting the ability of response teams to immediately identify and create vaccination rings around all people at risk of contracting Ebola.
“We know that vaccination is saving lives in this outbreak,” said WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
“We also know that we still face challenges in making sure the contacts of every case receive the vaccine as soon as possible. These recommendations account for ongoing insecurity and incorporate feedback from experts and from the affected communities that will help us continue to adapt the response.”
WN/as/APA