WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - An Ebola vaccine trial is underway in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, involving frontline health workers and others involved in the response.
The UN World Health Organization announced on Monday that 20,000 doses of the Ervebo vaccine have been allocated for the research vaccination program in Ituri province, the worst-hit region.
The aim of the trial is to improve understanding of how effective the vaccine is against the Bundibugyo strain of the virus, and to protect individuals most exposed to it.
The Ervebo vaccine has been highly effective against Ebola Zaire virus in the past, but it is not yet known whether it can provide meaningful protection against Ebola Bundibugyo disease, which is still spreading in the DR Congo.
A total of 70,000 doses have been made available to the Congolese authorities to support the outbreak response and related research, WHO said.
The epicentre of the outbreak remains Ituri province in eastern DR Congo, although the virus has spread to seven provinces since it was confirmed in May this year.
Those leading the outbreak response face many challenges related to an ongoing humanitarian emergency caused by decades of violence in the country's vast, resource-rich eastern provinces.
Latest health authority data indicates a total of more than 7,600 confirmed cases of infection including over 3,670 deaths, with nearly eight in 10 infections recorded in Ituri.
Ervebo is the only Ebola vaccine licensed for use during outbreaks caused by Bundibugyo virus.
The WHO-backed panel, which advises on vaccines recommended earlier this month that Ervebo should only be used for research purposes initially.
It also emphasized that the vaccine's 'unknown efficacy' against Bundibugyo virus should be clearly communicated, although limited data and anecdotal reports suggest that Ervebo may provide 'some protection' against the disease.
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