ERVEBO Ebola Vaccine

Ebola Vaccination Found Very Protective

Karen McClorey Hackett — Sat, 14 Dec 2024 16:31:45 +0000

Reviewer:

Over the past decades, Ebolavirus outbreaks have significantly impacted people's health in African countries such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Ebola, Sudan, and Bundibugyo are the viruses responsible for most large African outbreaks.

As of March 2024, the DRC has had 15 documented Zaire Ebolavirus outbreaks, with one recording a case-fatality rate of 66%.

A recent analysis indicates one U.S. FDA-approved vaccine has successfully reduced the impact of Ebola outbreaks.

The Lancet Infectious Disease published an Article in December 2024, Volume 24, Issue 12p1357-1365, which is the first to provide estimates of the real-world effectiveness of the rVSV-ZEBOV (Ervebo®) vaccine against Ebola virus disease (EVD) amid the widespread use of the vaccine during a large Ebola virus disease outbreak.

After selecting individuals who reported exposure to an individual with EVD within 21 days before symptom onset and matching, the analysis datasets comprised a median of 309 cases and 309 controls. Ten days or more after vaccination, the effectiveness of rVSV-ZEBOV against EVD was estimated to be 84% (95% credible interval 70–92).

This Médecins Sans Frontières funded review confirms that rVSV-ZEBOV is highly protective against Ebola virus disease and supports its use during outbreaks, even in challenging contexts such as the eastern DRC.

As of April 2024, the U.S. CDC reported that most of the Ervedo doses (139,120; 95%) shipped from the stockpile had been repurposed for preventive vaccination of high-risk groups, compared with 6,570 (5%) used for outbreak response.

As of early December 2024, Merck's Ervebo vaccine was licensed in the U.S., the U.K., the European Union, Canada, and various countries. Recently, Sierra Leone became the first country to launch a preventive Ebola vaccination campaign targeting 20,000 frontline workers.

This Ebola vaccine is not generally commercially available.

As of December 14, 2024, the CDC says no active Travel Health Notices are focused on Ebola outbreaks.

Sub Title:

Zaire Ebolavirus outbreaks have occurred in Africa since 1976

Reference:

Volume 24, Issue 12p1357-1365December 2024Open access Download Full Issue Effectiveness of rVSV-ZEBOV vaccination

Image:

Google News Keywords:

health, vaccines, vaccinations

Featured:

Fact checked:

Sunday, December 15, 2024 - 06:45

Image Caption:

Africa CDC.org - DRC

Ebola Vaccination Reduces Infected People Mortality By 50%

Donald Hackett — Sat, 10 Feb 2024 14:54:52 +0000

Reviewer:

Holly Lutmer PharmD

Robert Carlson, MD

In the 40 years since the Ebola virus was first identified in Africa, there has been a steady increase in the frequency, size, and mortality of epidemics.

After years of antidotal data, a new Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases shows that being vaccinated, even after being exposed to the Ebola virus, can cut mortality figures of those infected by about 52%.

Funded by MSF and published on February 7, 2024, this study was conducted by Epicentre during the Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) outbreak between 2018 and 2020. The research showed that among the 2,279 confirmed Ebola patients, the mortality rate was 56% for unvaccinated patients.

In contrast, for those who had received an approved Ebola vaccine, the mortality rate fell to 25%. This reduction in mortality was observed in all patients, regardless of age or gender.

"Vaccination after exposure to a person infected with Ebola virus disease—even when administered shortly before the onset of symptoms—still confers significant protection against death," said Rebecca Coulborn, an epidemiologist with MSF's Epicentre, in a press release.

Designed to be administered in a single dose, Merck's Ervebo® (rVSV-ZEBOV-GP) vaccine is recommended primarily for ring vaccination. Ring vaccination is a strategy that targets contacts and contacts of contacts of confirmed Ebola cases, as well as health care and frontline workers who are at high risk of exposure.

While the goal is to vaccinate people as early as possible during Ebola outbreaks, these new findings show that vaccinating someone who has already been exposed but is not yet symptomatic can also reduce the risk of death, wrote these researchers.

As of 2024, the Ervebo vaccine is licensed in the U.S., U.K., European Union, Canada, Switzerland, Burundi, Central African Republic, the DRC, Ghana, Guinea, Rwanda, Uganda and Zambia.

The initial Zaire Ebolavirus disease case was confirmed in 1976 in South Sudan and then in the DRC. More than 30 EBOV outbreaks have been reported, mainly in West and Central Africa.

Recent studies have suggested that some Ebola outbreaks originate from human-to-human transmission of prior Ebola outbreak strains instead of spillover events.

Sub Title:

Merck's Ervebo rVSV-ZEBOV-GP vaccine is recommended during Ebola outbreaks

References:

Ebola vaccine cuts mortality figures in half for people infected with the virus

Case fatality risk among individuals vaccinated with rVSVΔG-ZEBOV-GP

Image:

Google News Keywords:

Ebola, vaccinations

Featured:

Fact checked:

Sunday, February 11, 2024 - 05:15

Image Caption:

MDPI Ebola map

Ebola Vaccines Embraced by Healthcare Workers

Donald Hackett — Mon, 21 Aug 2023 14:27:59 +0000

Reviewer:

Robert Carlson, MD

A recent study found that during the 2018–2020 Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), healthcare workers (HCWs) were very receptive to taking an experimental vaccine.

On July 25, 2023, the journal Frontiers published Original Research that found about 99% of HCWs received the Ervebo® Ebola Vaccine (rVSV-ZEBOV-GP, rVSV-ZEBOV, v920) live, recombinant, replication-competent vaccine during the DRC's 10 Ebola outbreak.

Among the 438 HCWs offered vaccination, self-reported uptake of Ervebo was 99.0% (95% confidence interval [98.5–99.4]).

This research confirmed HCWs are at increased risk of EVD, given their close physical contact with patients. Nearly all HCWs (94.3%) perceived themselves at risk of contracting EVD.

Of the confirmed EVD cases during this Ebola outbreak in DRC, 5% were HCWs, and 44% died.

In 2019, Merck's Ziare EVD vaccine was licensed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for adults, followed by Canada and European authorizations.

On August 3, 2023, the FDA approved an expanded indication for ERVEBO for those 12 months and older.

Zaire ebolavirus, Bundibugyo ebolavirus, and Sudan ebolavirus are the three species of ebolaviruses responsible for the more significant outbreaks of Ebola disease in Africa.

Zaire ebolavirus is the most fatal species. It was associated with numerous outbreaks and deaths in Africa.

Sudan ebolavirus, with a fatality rate of 50%, has been the cause of several outbreaks in Uganda and others near the border between South Sudan and DRC.

Bundibugyo ebolavirus, discovered in 2007, was associated with two outbreaks, one in DRC and the other on the border of DRC and Uganda.

And Taï Forest ebolavirus was the cause of one case identified in Côte d'Ivoire.

As of August 21, 2023, in certain countries, Ebola vaccines and antibody therapies are approved and offered. These products are of limited availability in the U.S.

Sub Title:

Ebolavirus outbreaks in 2023

References:

Ebola vaccine uptake and attitudes among healthcare workers 2023

Ebola Disease Distribution Map in Africa Since 1976

Image:

Google News Keywords:

Ebola, vaccinations

Featured:

Fact checked:

Tuesday, August 22, 2023 - 06:15

Image Caption:

Ebola outbreak map, US CDC August 2023

Ebola Screening Activated in the U.K.

Karen McClorey Hackett — Wed, 16 Nov 2022 18:07:15 +0000

Reviewer:

Robert Carlson, MD

Holly Lutmer PharmD

The United Kingdom (U.K.) recently announced they would follow the U.S. in screening certain air travelers from the Republic of Uganda.

The U.K. Health Security Agency (UKHSA) confirmed on November 14, 2022, all workers returning to the U.K. from areas affected by Ebola should be risk assessed.

Most departing flights to the U.K. are from Kampala, the country's capital city, and land at London Heathrow Airport.

This action is related to Uganda's Sudan Ebolavirus (SUDV) outbreak.

On November 5, 2022, the Government of Uganda announced the extension of the lockdown in the Mubende and Kassanda districts.

The 21-day extension restricts movements in and out of these districts and imposes a nightly curfew.

The UKHSA established the returning workers' scheme (RWS) in November 2014 as part of arrangements to protect and monitor the health of those who travel to Ebola-affected areas for work.

Launching the RWS program was in response to the World Health Organization confirming Ebola Virus Disease cases in West Africa in March 2014.

The RWS applies to any organization, including humanitarian and healthcare, as well as businesses and the media that send workers to situations where they might be directly exposed to Ebola.

About one month ago, the U.S. government took similar actions.

Since October 6, 2022, all U.S.-bound passengers who have been in Uganda have been routed to five designated airports for enhanced Ebola screening.

The U.S. CDC says organizations sending US-based response workers to outbreak areas should follow CDC recommendations to ensure their workers are healthy when they return to the U.S.

In Washington DC, health officials are monitoring 19 travelers, D.C. Health informed CNN.

"This is an opportunity to learn about jurisdictions' plans and identify any areas where CDC or our federal partners could offer technical or other assistance," CDC spokesperson Kristen Nordlund wrote in an email to CNN on November 16, 2022.

Previously, the U.S. government conducted similar airport exit and entry screening for Ebola during the 2014 outbreak.

There is currently one active Sudan Ebolavirus outbreak in Uganda.

The President of the Republic of Uganda delivered his 4th Address to the Nation on November 15, 2022, stating there were a total of 141 confirmed cases of SUDV and 55 related fatalities since September 2022.

Confirmed SUDV cases have been reported from Kampala, Kassanda, Masaka, Mubende, and Wakiso districts in the Central Region, Bunyangabu, Kagadi, and Kyegegwa districts in the Western Region, and Jinja District in the Eastern Region.

In support of Uganda's actions, the U.S. Embassy in Kampala currently recommends deferral of non-essential U.S. Government employee travel to and through the Mubende and Kassanda districts.

Furthermore, to inform international travelers, the CDC updated its Alert - Level 2, Practice Enhanced Precautions notice on November 15, 2022.

As of today, the U.S. FDA has not authorized a SUDV preventive vaccine.

Other Ebola outbreak news is posted at Vax-Before-Travel/Ebola.

Vax-Before-Travel publishes fact-checked, research-based travel vaccine news manually curated for mobile readers.

Sub Title:

Sudan ebolavirus airport screening

References:

UK Ebola: returning workers scheme

2014-2016 Ebola Outbreak in West Africa

Enhanced Screening at Designated U.S. Airports

Alert - Level 2, Practice Enhanced Precautions

Sudan ebolavirus vaccine candidates

Image:

Google News Keywords:

Ebola, Uganda, vaccines

Featured:

Fact checked:

Wednesday, November 23, 2022 - 12:45

Image Caption:

U.S. Dept State

The WHO Seeks $83 Million For Continued Ebola Response

Don Hackett — Fri, 21 Feb 2020 18:37:04 +0000

Reviewer:

Robert Carlson, MD

During the past week, the incidence of new Ebola virus disease (EVD) cases has remained low in central Africa.

As of February 18, 2020, a total of 3,433 EVD cases have been reported, since the outbreak began in August 2018, of which 2,253 cases were fatal, reflecting an overall case fatality ratio of 66 percent.

To maintain operations and prevent re-emergence of the Ebola outbreak, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced it is requesting additional funding on February 20, 2020.

Under the Strategic Response Plan, the WHO’s financial need for the Ebola Response from January to June 2020 is $83 million dollars.

Thanks to the generosity of many donors during 2019, the WHO has some carry-over funding, which has been applied to maintain operations through February 2020.

The Who says USD $40 million is currently needed to ensure continuity of response and preparedness activities to bring the case incidence to zero, and continue building strong, resilient health systems.

Recently, four African countries announced their approval for Merck’s Zaire Ebolavirus vaccine named ERVEBO on February 14, 2020.

The ERVEBO vaccine is now been registered by National Health Authorities in the Democratic Republic of Africa (DRC), Burundi, Ghana, and Zambia.

The ERVEBO vaccine is indicated for the prevention of disease caused by Zaire ebolavirus in individuals 18 years of age and older. The duration of protection conferred by ERVEBO is unknown and it does not protect against other species of Ebolavirus or Marburgvirus.

And, information regarding additional Ebola vaccine candidates can be found on this webpage.

Furthermore, the WHO continues to advise against any restriction of travel to, and trade with, the DRC based on the currently available information.

Any requirements for certificates of Ebola vaccination are not a reasonable basis for restricting movement across borders or the issuance of visas for travelers to/from the affected countries.

Currently, no country has implemented travel measures that significantly interfere with international traffic to and from the DRC.

Travelers should seek medical advice before travel and should practice good hygiene while traveling abroad.

For further information about public health response actions by the Ministry of Health, WHO, and partners, please refer to the latest situation reports Ebola situation reports: Democratic Republic of the Congo published by the WHO Regional Office for Africa.

Travel vaccine news is published by Vax-Before-Travel

Sub Title:

ERVEBO vaccine is registered by National Health Authorities in the Democratic Republic of Africa, Burundi, Ghana, and Zambia

References:

WHO: Ebola virus disease – Democratic Republic of the Congo

Ebola Vaccine Now Available in African Countries

ERVEBO Ebola Vaccine

Image:

Google News Keywords:

health, vaccines, vaccinations, ebola in africa, ebola disease, ebola vaccines, africa travel

Featured:

Ebola Vaccine Now Available in African Countries

Don Hackett — Sat, 15 Feb 2020 15:37:45 +0000

Reviewer:

Robert Carlson, MD

Danielle Reiter, RN

Four African countries announced their approval of the Zaire Ebolavirus vaccine named ERVEBO.

The ERVEBO vaccine is now been registered by National Health Authorities in the Democratic Republic of Africa (DRC), Burundi, Ghana, and Zambia.

These approvals announced on February 14, 2020, signify continued, groundbreaking progress in advancing the future of global public health preparedness against Zaire ebolavirus disease.

And, were the result of the successful implementation of the World Health Organization (WHO) Roadmap for introduction and roll‐out of Merck rVSV-ZEBOV (v920) Ebola virus disease vaccine candidate in African countries.

The roadmap, designed to coordinate actions and contributions toward the licensing and roll-out of ERVEBO, helped facilitate near-parallel regulatory reviews and led to the approvals of the vaccine in several at-risk countries within 90 days of WHO prequalification.

According to Merck, the producer of ERVBO, this progress is made possible by the unprecedented collaboration between the WHO, the African Vaccines Regulatory Forum, African governments, the European Medicines Agency (EMA), and Merck.

“We are grateful for WHO’s leadership in establishing a path forward for expediting the prequalification and licensing of this vaccine in countries at greatest risk,” said Kenneth C. Frazier, chairman, and chief executive officer, Merck, in a press release.

“This important milestone is one more example of the partnership that has formed in response to the Ebola outbreaks.”

“While we are far from finished in the Ebola fight, this milestone shows what can be done when we work together to address the most challenging diseases that threaten people and communities.”

As previously announced, Merck is working to initiate the manufacturing of licensed doses and expects these doses to start becoming available in approximately the third quarter of 2020.

Merck is working closely with the United States government, WHO, UNICEF, and Gavi to plan for how eventual, licensed doses will support future public health preparedness and response efforts against Zaire ebolavirus disease.

In the meantime, Merck continues to work urgently with WHO and partners to make investigational Ebola Zaire vaccine doses available in support of international outbreak response efforts in the DRC and neighboring countries.

ERVEBO was granted conditional marketing authorization by the European Commission on November 11, 2019, and approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Dec. 20, 2019.

The FDA says ERVEBO is indicated for the prevention of disease caused by Zaire ebolavirus in individuals 18 years of age and older. The duration of protection conferred by ERVEBO is unknown.

Additionally, the effectiveness of the ERVEBO vaccine is unknown when administered concurrently with antiviral medication, immune globulin, and/or blood or plasma transfusions says the FDA.

And, the ERVEBO vaccine does not protect against other species of Ebolavirus or Marburgvirus.

Recently, a new Health Advisory was updated with guidance regarding the usage of a new rapid diagnostic test (RDT) for detecting the Ebola virus in symptomatic patients.

Health Advisory (#432) says ‘healthcare providers caring for a patient with possible Ebola virus infection should first contact their local or state public health authorities before any testing is performed.’

‘RDTs should be used only in cases where more sensitive molecular testing is not available.’

And, ‘the interpretation of RDT results should be done with caution and in consultation with relevant public health authorities to ensure appropriate testing and interpretation of results.’

This advisory says ‘there have been 49 travelers since August 2018 who were ill when returning to the USA from the DRC or the surrounding African countries.

Of these 49 individuals, testing for Ebola was recommended for just 1 person, who was found not infected.

Ebola vaccine and treatment news published by Precision Vaccinations.

Sub Title:

Zaire Ebolavirus vaccine ERVEBO is now registered in Burundi, the DRC, Ghana, and Zambia

References:

ERVEBO® Now Registered in Four African Countries, Within 90 Days of Reference Country Approval and WHO Prequalification

49 Ebola False-Alarms in the USA Since 2018

Image:

Google News Keywords:

health, vaccines, vaccinationsd, ebola, ebola in africa, ebola vaccines, ervebo vaccine, africa

Featured: