United States: International vaccine group Gavi said recently that a worldwide supply of Ebola vaccines could be used on a regular basis to protect frontline health workers in high-risk countries, rather than merely as a last resort during outbreaks.
Vaccine Stockpile Details
Gavi and other international health partners built a stockpile of 500,000 Ebola vaccine doses in 2019 for use in outbreaks of hemorrhagic fever, which has an approximate 60% average mortality rate. In 2014–16, West Africa experienced the greatest outbreak in history, with almost 11,000 fatalities.
Ebola outbreaks are extremely rare, despite their high fatality rate. Approximately 208,000 doses of the accumulated Merck Ervebo vaccine were scheduled to expire this year if not utilised, while several nations, such as Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, have already received doses for preventative programmes. Approximately 120,000 dosages are about to expire right now.
WHO and International Support
Following the World Health Organization’s (WHO) recommendation last month to use Ervebo in this manner, Gavi said that it will finance the routine preventative use of the drug for high-risk nations, including transportation and vaccine expenses. Additionally, the vaccines can still be used in outbreak situations.
The other Ebola vaccine, manufactured by Johnson & Johnson , with a booster dosage, Mvabea (produced by Bavarian Nordic; BAVA.CO), was also supported by the WHO for prophylactic use in high-risk categories. There isn’t any vaccination in the stockpile right now. Rather than the Sudan form of the virus that sparked an outbreak in Uganda in 2022, both vaccines target the Ebola Zaire strain of the virus.
Impact and Future Outlook
Sania Nishtar, the CEO of Gavi, stated that the stockpile may now shield people most vulnerable to this “horrible disease that can lay waste to whole communities” after it had already assisted in reducing the number of Ebola cases and deaths during outbreaks.
Additionally, Gavi stated that it will help low-income nations incorporate many other vaccinations into their regular programs.
Broader Vaccine Initiatives
These included administering a dose of the hepatitis B vaccination to infants, developing a novel vaccine to guard against meningococcal meningitis caused by five different strains, and using the rabies vaccine to provide protection after exposure. The pandemic and other issues caused a delay in the implementation of the plans, which included a prophylactic Ebola immunization, but were approved by Gavi’s board prior to COVID-19.