The latest Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which was only confirmed to be underway at the end of last week, is already the fourth largest on record. The deadly virus is spreading in a conflict zone where recent Ebola experience has shown containment will be a challenge. There is no vaccine that targets the species of the virus that is spreading there, Bundibugyo.
But there is a tiny bit of scientific evidence that suggests the existing licensed Ebola vaccine, Merck’s Ervebo, might offer some protection against this virus, even though it is designed to target a different species of Ebola, Zaire ebolavirus.
The World Health Organization and scientists who study these viruses are debating whether Ervebo could help contain this outbreak. A meeting of a group of experts who advise the WHO on development of needed vaccines is scheduled for Tuesday, and the question of whether Ervebo should be put to the test will be on the agenda, Vasee Moorthy, acting lead of WHO’s so-called R&D Blueprint group told STAT.
But at the end of the day, whether the vaccine is used in this outbreak will require a request from the affected countries.
“Any decision as to next steps will be for DRC and Uganda, supported by WHO,” Moorthy said, adding that there are ethical and other considerations to ponder, including whether people in the outbreak zone would be willing to participate in a clinical trial.
