The Democratic Republic of Congo has given the green light to an experimental vaccine to combat an ongoing Ebola outbreak. While the vaccine is not licensed, it has shown promising signs in a clinical trial.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/EPA/Frederick A. Murphy
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The Democratic Republic of Congo approved the use of an experimental Ebola vaccine on Monday to combat the ongoing outbreak in the country.
"The non-objection was given. Now there's a Medecins Sans Frontiers (Doctors Without Borders) team that is arriving (in Congo) today to validate the protocol with the technical teams," Health Ministry spokesman Jonathan Simba told Reuters by telephone.
While there is no licensed vaccine to fight the Ebola virus, the World Health Organization (WHO) said the Ebola vaccine in question had performed well in a clinical trial in Guinea. The 5,837 subjects who used the experimental vaccine, known as rVSV-ZEBOV, were not infected with the virus 10 days after vaccination, as compared with 23 cases of Ebola in the 6,004 subjects who were not vaccinated.
WHO presents Ebola vaccine
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The report in the medical journal The Lancet said the vaccine offered "substantial protection against Ebola virus disease."
A source in the country's Health Ministry told AFP a decision on how to deploy the vaccine would be released in the next 24 hours. A vaccine campaign would present a considerable challenge, especially when attempting to transport the vaccine to the remote Bas-Uele province, which has most of the suspected cases of Ebola.
Outbreak under control
The Democratic Republic of Congo declared it was experiencing an Ebola outbreak earlier this month and previously announced it was willing to accept potential vaccines. This is the eighth outbreak of Ebola in the sub-Saharan nation, and the first since an epidemic in West Africa killed over 11,000 people.
The WHO spokesman in Congo, Eugene Kabambi, told Reuters by telephone the situation appeared to be under control. There have been two confirmed laboratory cases of Ebola, and Kabambi said there were 50 suspected cases. There have been three deaths related to this outbreak.
The virus was discovered near the River Ebola in 1976 in the northern part of the country, when it was known as Zaire. The deadly virus is spread by contacting bodily fluids and causes internal and external bleeding and impaired kidney and liver function.
Ebola vaccine research in African town made famous by Albert Schweitzer
Lambarene in Gabon is well known for the Albert Schweitzer Hospital named after the famous physician and Nobel Peace laureate. It could make medical history yet again with research into an Ebola vaccine.
Image: DW/J.-P. Scholz/A. Kriesch
Sleepy fishing town
Lambarene is a town in the West African state of Gabon. Many of the 25,000 inhabitants depend on fishing for their livelihood. But the town is best known for the Albert Schweitzer Hospital.
Image: DW/J.-P. Scholz/A. Kriesch
Tight budget
Schweitzer, a German and then French national was a philosopher, theologian, musical scholar. He then later obtained a medical degree and opened a hospital in Lambarene in 1913 as recompense for European guilt over colonialism. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1952. His hospital exists to this day, but its medical equipment is hopelessly out-of-date.
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Schweitzer less well known
"The money just isn't there for modernization," said Hansjorg Fotouri, the hospital's director. "Donations have fallen off dramatically in recent years. There are now fewer people around who knew Schweitzer personally," he said. Fotouri wants to found a center to promote dialogue between traditional and western medicine.
Image: DW/J.-P. Scholz/A. Kriesch
Fighting Ebola with medical research
There is a new research center next to the Albert Schweitzer Hospital. African and European scientists are working on an Ebola vaccine. It is a weakened, genetically modified virus to which a surface protein of the Ebola virus has been attached. The researchers hope that the immune system will respond to the modified virus by producing Ebola antibodies.
Image: DW/J.-P. Scholz/A. Kriesch
From Germany to Gabon
Dr. Jose Fernandes is supervising a trial of the new vaccine on a group of 60 healthy volunteers. It is a Phase I trial in which the new substance is tested first of all to see if it is safe. Fernandes broke off his studies in Germany to come to Gabon. "It was a simple decision. Finding a vaccine for this disease is a key challenge for medical science," he said.
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Courageous volunteers
Antoine Maganga Mombo is one of the volunteers. He comes to the research center at least once a month to have a blood test. "Just to check that everything is ok," said the 22-year-old, who otherwise appears untroubled by the prospect of serious side effects. "I can help people in the afflicted areas," he said.
Image: DW/J.-P. Scholz/A. Kriesch
Poverty despite oil reserves
Mombo's family is proud of him. "It requires a lot of courage" said his uncle. For Mombo, the money was also important. He receives 400 euros ($449) for participating in the trial. In spite of Gabon's oil wealth, the majority of residents live in poverty. Mombo makes ends meet by working at gas station.
Image: DW/J.-P. Scholz/A. Kriesch
WHO collecting trial data
Paul Pitzinger is feeding a World Health Organization (WHO) database with information about the health of the volunteers. A medical student from the University of Vienna, Pitzinger is spending several months in Gabon. The WHO correlates the results of the Gabon trial with others that are running in parallel in Europe, the US and elsewhere in Africa.
Image: DW/J.-P. Scholz/A. Kriesch
Vaccine release date uncertain
Phase II trials on the effectiveness of the vaccine with a large number of volunteers are due to start in the afflicted West African countries shortly. Bettram Lell, project coordinator in Lambarene, cannot say when - or if - their vaccine will be approved by regulators. But he's hopeful nonetheless. "Things that normally took years, are now being done in months," he said.
