Ebola

2,160 Experimental Sudan Ebolavirus Doses Deployed in Uganda

Karen McClorey Hackett — Sat, 01 Feb 2025 11:36:25 +0000

Reviewer:

Without approved treatments or vaccines to prevent Sudan Ebolavirus outbreaks in 2025, the World Health Organization (WHO) and its partners have immediately supported the Republic of Uganda's response to a potential new outbreak by facilitating access to a candidate vaccine.

As of January 31, 2025, the first 2,160 doses of IAVI's rVSV Sudan ebolavirus vaccine candidate (IAVI C108, rVSVΔG-SUDV-GP) were in Uganda's capital, Kampala, where they were prepositioned as part of outbreak preparedness.

Following the confirmation that a nurse from the hospital in Kampala, 45 close contacts, including health workers and family members, are under monitoring for Sudan Ebolavirus disease (SVD) symptoms and will be offered the vaccine.

Additionally, the WHO has allocated $1 million from its Contingency Fund for Emergencies to help accelerate outbreak control efforts.

Uganda has experienced five previous SVD outbreaks.

The last one was declared in September 2022 and ended in January 2023, with 164 cases and 77 deaths. During that outbreak, a WHO committee of external experts evaluated candidate vaccines. It provided recommendations on their suitability for evaluation in Uganda as part of a clinical trial against the SVD virus.

Sudan virus is a severe, often fatal illness affecting humans and other primates. It is caused by Orthoebolavirus Sudanese (Sudan virus), a viral species belonging to the same genus as the virus that causes Ebola virus disease.

Case fatality rates of Sudan virus disease have varied from 41% to 100% in past outbreaks.

There are no approved treatments or vaccines for the Sudan virus, but early initiation of supportive therapy has significantly reduced deaths from Sudan virus disease.

As of February 2025, several Sudan Ebolavirus vaccine candidates are conducting clinical research.

In addition to the Sudan Ebolavirus outbreak, the U.S. CDC has included Uganda in recent polio and mpox Travel Health Advisories. The CDC recommends that anyone visiting Uganda in 2025 be fully immunized against these diseases.

Sub Title:

IAVI rVSV Sudan ebolavirus vaccine candidate offered in Africa

References:

WHO and partners enable access to candidate vaccine and treatments for outbreak of Sudan Ebola virus disease in Uganda

Ministry of Health has today confirmed an outbreak of Sudan Ebola Virus Disease in Kampala, Uganda.

US CDC 2025

Image:

Google News Keywords:

health, vaccines, vaccinations

Featured:

Fact checked:

Saturday, February 1, 2025 - 07:30

Image Caption:

Maps Feb. 2025

Ebola Vaccination Found Very Protective

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

Reviewer:

Robert Carlson, MD

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

Gavi Launches Preventive Vaccine Program for Ebola and Other Diseases

Karen McClorey Hackett — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 21:12:49 +0000

Reviewer:

Robert Carlson, MD

Holly Lutmer PharmD

Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance today announced that certain countries it supports can now apply to introduce four additional vaccines: preventive Ebola, human rabies vaccine for post-exposure prophylaxis, multivalent meningococcal conjugate, and hepatitis B birth dose.

These four vaccine programs were previously approved by the Gavi Board but were put on hold due to the recent pandemic.

The latest expansion of Gavi's vaccine portfolio aligns with its commitment to ensuring that lower-income countries access impactful vaccines as soon as possible.

Gavi will begin funding preventive vaccination against Ebola in countries most at risk of outbreaks of the deadly viral disease. Gavi first committed to supporting Ebola vaccination in 2014, during the deadly 2014–2016 West Africa outbreak.

In 2016, Gavi signed an Advance Purchase Commitment with Merck that enabled the deployment of 300,000 ERVEBO® investigational doses in Ebola outbreaks.

More than 130,000 doses of ERVEBO vaccines have been shipped for preventive vaccination campaigns in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guinea-Bissau, and Uganda.

In addition about 7,000 vaccines were shipped for outbreak response vaccination.

Dr Sania Nishtar, CEO of Gavi, commented in a press release on June 13, 2024, "....Ebola is a terrible disease that can lay waste to whole communities."

"In one decade, we have been able to progress from having no approved vaccines during a deadly outbreak to having a global stockpile that has helped cut down cases and deaths – and now vaccines are even used preventively to protect those at highest risk."

The portfolio will be further expanded in Gavi's next strategic period, from 2026 to 2030, seeking to protect more people against diseases faster than ever before. Continuing all Gavi-supported programs after 2025 is contingent upon successful fundraising for the Alliance's next strategic period.

Sub Title:

Ebola, routine multivalent meningitis, rabies, and hepatitis B birth dose vaccination programs launched

Reference:

Gavi announces launch of preventive Ebola, routine multivalent meningitis, human rabies, and hepatitis B birth dose vaccination

Image:

Google News Keywords:

health, vaccines, vaccinations

Featured:

Fact checked:

Saturday, June 15, 2024 - 16:30

Image Caption:

US CDC Ebola outbreaks 2024

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

Uganda's 5th Sudan Ebola Outbreak Ends

Donald Hackett — Wed, 11 Jan 2023 13:08:02 +0000

Reviewer:

Robert Carlson, MD

There was very good news reported today by the World Health Organization (WHO) in Africa regarding the recent Sudan ebolavirus outbreak in the Republic of Uganda.

Today, the government of Uganda declared the end to the Ebola outbreak that began in September 2022, The last patient was released from care in late November 2022, which started the 42-day countdown to the end of the outbreak.

This was Uganda's first Sudan ebolavirus outbreak in a decade and its fifth overall for this kind of Ebola.

There were 164 cases, 55 confirmed deaths, and 87 recovered patients. Overall, the case-fatality ratio was 47%.

"While we expanded our efforts to put a strong response in place across the nine affected (Uganda) districts, the magic bullet has been our communities who understood the importance of doing what was needed to end the outbreak and took action," said Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng Ocero, Uganda's Minister of Health, in a press release on January 11, 2023.

Uganda's long experience in responding to epidemics allowed the country to rapidly strengthen critical areas of the response and overcome the lack of these essential tools.

Unfortunately, there were no SUDV therapeutics and vaccines available in 2022.

However, should there be another outbreak, three SUDV candidate vaccines were identified, and over 5,000 doses of these arrived for testing in Uganda last year.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says the Ebola virus (Ebola hemorrhagic fever) is rare and deadly. It spreads by contact with the blood or body fluids of a person infected with the Ebola virus and from contaminated objects or infected animals.

Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle pain, weakness, diarrhea, vomiting, stomach pain, and unexplained bleeding or bruising.

Furthermore, detecting a SUDV infection requires diagnostic tests.

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

The U.K. launched a similar program in mid-November 2022.

As of January 11, 2022, the CDC had not rescinded its travel alert.

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

Updated: Headline modified on Jan. 13, 2023.

Sub Title:

Preventing Sudan ebolavirus outbreaks require vaccines

References:

End of Sudan Ebolavirus outbreak in Uganda declared

U.S. CDC Alert Uganda 2022

Image:

Google News Keywords:

Sudan, ebola, uganda

Featured:

Fact checked:

Wednesday, January 11, 2023 - 06:15

Image Caption:

U.S. CDC Uganda map 2023

Ebola Outbreak Ends Without New Vaccines

Donald Hackett — Wed, 11 Jan 2023 10:57:17 +0000

Reviewer:

Robert Carlson, MD

The World Health Organization (WHO) in Uganda today announced great news regarding the recent Sudan ebolavirus outbreak.

The Republic of Uganda declared on January 11, 2023, the end of the Ebola disease outbreak less than four months after the initial patient was confirmed in the east African country's central Mubende district.

The last patient was released from care on November 30, 2022, when the 42-day countdown to the outbreak's end began.

It was Uganda's first Sudan ebolavirus (SUDV) outbreak in a decade and its fifth overall for this kind of Ebola.

There are six ebolavirus species, says the WHO.

In total, there were 164 SUDV patients (142 confirmed and 22 probable), 55 confirmed deaths, and 87 recovered patients.

Overall, the case-fatality ratio was 47%.

Unlike the Zaire ebolavirus, which has U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved vaccine and treatments, the SUDV vaccine development process has just launched.

Merck's Ervebo® recombinant, replication-competent Zaire Ebolavirus vaccine was Approved by the U.S. FDA in 2019.

Soon after Uganda declared the Sudan ebolavirus outbreak, WHO worked with various partners, including vaccine developers, researchers, donors, and the Ugandan health authorities, to identify candidate therapeutics and vaccines for inclusion in trials.

"With no vaccines and therapeutics, this was one of the most challenging Ebola outbreaks in the past five years, but Uganda stayed the course and continuously fine-tuned its response," said Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa, in a press release.

"Two months ago, it looked as if Ebola would cast a dark shadow over the country well into 2023, as the outbreak reached major cities such as Kampala and Jinja, but this win starts off the year on a note of great hope for Africa."

In late 2022, three candidate vaccines were identified, and over 5,000 doses arrived in the country.

This accelerated vaccine development process marks a milestone in the global capacity for responding to rapidly evolving outbreaks.

Detailed information regarding Ebola vaccines and therapeutics is posted at PrecisionVaccinations.com/Ebola.

"While these candidate vaccines were not used during this outbreak, they remain the contribution of Uganda and partners to the fight against Ebola," commented Dr. Yonas Tegegn Woldemariam, WHO Representative in Uganda.

"The next time the Sudan ebolavirus strikes, we can reignite the robust cooperation between developers, donors, and health authorities and dispatch the candidate vaccines."

Versions of the Ebola virus are transmitted to people from wild animals and spread through human-to-human transmission, with case fatality rates varying from 25% to 90%.

Ebola symptoms include fever, fatigue, muscle pain, headache, and sore throat, ranging from 2 to 21 days.

The detection of an Ebola infection requires diagnostic testing.

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

Note: In the U.S., access to Ebola vaccines and treatments are government controlled.

Sub Title:

Uganda Sudan ebolavirus ends

References:

Uganda declares end of Ebola disease outbreak

ECDC Ebola 2023

Image:

Google News Keywords:

Ebola, sudan, vaccine

Featured:

Fact checked:

Wednesday, January 11, 2023 - 06:30

Image Caption:

European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control Ebola cases Jan. 2023

New Ebola Vaccines Aspire to Achieve Older Version Success

Donald Hackett — Tue, 20 Dec 2022 19:04:18 +0000

Reviewer:

Holly Lutmer PharmD

Robert Carlson, MD

As the current Sudan Ebolavirus outbreak in the Republic of Uganda comes to a close, researchers are scrambling to conduct clinical trials to determine if a new set of vaccine candidates can match the efficacy found in previous Ebola vaccines.

An Original Article recently published in the peer-reviewed New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) confirmed that two existing Ebola vaccines trigger durable immune responses, with antibodies detectable a year after the first dose administration.

Published by the NEJM on December 16, 2022, this Article also confirmed the safety of three different regimens of Merck's Ervebo® and Johnson & Johnson's Zabdeno and Mvabea vaccines.

"The data collected during this clinical trial are valuable because they help confirm the safety and potential efficacy of the available vaccines, making it possible to refine the vaccination recommendations during both the Zaire ebolavirus epidemic and inter-epidemic periods in populations at risk," said the trial's principal investigator, Prof Yazdan Yazdanpanah of Paris Diderot University in France, in an article published by GAVI.

However, these vaccines are not focused on combating Uganda's current Sudan ebolavirus (SUDV) outbreak.

As of December 20, 2022, no approved vaccines protect people against SUDV.

However, the World Health Organization (WHO) stated on November 16, 2022, three candidate vaccines are under consideration.

Previously, the WHO announced that three candidate vaccines against SUDV arrived in Uganda and will be evaluated in human clinical trials called Tokomeza Ebola.

If approved, the SUDV vaccine candidates could be deployed should there be a sixth outbreak.

The current SUDV outbreak, which started on September 20, 2022, is the fifth outbreak in Uganda since 2000.

During the U.S. CDC's Clinician Outreach and Communication Activity (COCA) call on December 20, 2022, the presentation revealed 35 ill returning travelers from Uganda had been tested in the U.S. between September 20 – December 14, 2022.

Sudan virus testing was performed for 3/35 returning travelers at five airports, with all testing negative for the virus.

Currently, the CDC says the risk of Ebola importation into the U.S. is assessed as low for two reasons.

There are few travelers and no direct flights to the U.S. from Uganda.
Exit screening of air passengers is being conducted in Uganda.

The COCA call presenters did suggest including Ebola disease in the differential diagnosis for ill travelers who recently arrived from Uganda.

And be aware that malaria is the most common cause of undifferentiated fever after traveling to sub-Saharan Africa.

Going into the new year, the WHO recently announced that on January 12, 2023, it is organizing an expert consultation to discuss advances in evaluating the SUDV vaccine candidates.

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

PrecisionVaccinations publishes fact-checked, research-based vaccine information manually curated for mobile readers.

Sub Title:

Zaire Ebolavirus vaccines effective and durable

References:

Randomized Trial of Vaccines for Zaire Ebola Virus Disease

Ebola vaccines trigger durable responses

CDC COCA call: Ebola: Clinical Presentation, Evaluation, and Infection Prevention

Outbreak Brief 11: SUDV in Uganda

Image:

Google News Keywords:

Sudan, Zaire, Ebola, vaccines

Featured:

Fact checked:

Tuesday, January 17, 2023 - 06:00

Image Caption:

U.S. CDC ebola cases 2022

Texas Testing Empowers Sudan Ebolavirus Vaccine and Therapeutic Development

Donald Hackett — Tue, 20 Dec 2022 16:15:15 +0000

Reviewer:

Robert Carlson, MD

While there are approved vaccines and therapies for one type of Ebola virus, a recent outbreak in Africa has highlighted the need for additional innovations.

Since the current Sudan ebolavirus (SUDV) outbreak began in September 2022, at least 142 people have been infected, and 55 people have died, including children and healthcare workers.

The World Health Organization (WHO) and other global entities announced in November they are working with Ugandan officials to verify SUDV vaccine candidate effectiveness in human phase 1 clinical trials.

To enable those studies, a SUDV vaccine and antibody therapeutic were recently tested at Texas Biomedical Research Institute and sent to the Republic of Uganda for real-world testing.

One of those candidates, currently being developed by the Sabin Vaccine Institute, has been undergoing preclinical testing at Texas Biomed to evaluate safety and efficacy.

And an initial shipment of the vaccine candidate is now in Uganda.

Mapp Biopharmaceutical Inc. has also subcontracted to the Institute support for developing its antibody therapeutic, MBP134, which has also been deployed to Africa to treat infected SUDV patients.

Studying vaccines and therapies for such deadly pathogens presents challenges in humans, says Texas Biomed.

Work on deadly viruses must be carried out in a biosafety level 4 (BSL-4) laboratory, the highest, most secure level in which researchers wear full-body, pressurized suits.

Texas Biomed is home to the nation’s first independently operated BSL-4, which opened in 1999.

The development efforts of the vaccine and antibody candidates are currently being funded in whole or in part by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response, and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority.

Notably, the Institute has been awarded more than $35 million in subcontracts to run detailed studies required by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to determine if SUDV vaccines and therapies are effective.

“There are only a few labs that can perform the regulated and specialized studies required by FDA to support approval of a vaccine or treatment for these types of pathogens,” explains Ricardo Carrion, Jr., Ph.D., who directs Texas Biomed’s Maximum Containment Contract Research unit, in a press release on December 19, 2022.

While a vaccine or therapy can be given to people to confirm it is safe, determining effectiveness requires exposure to the virus. Deliberately exposing people would be unethical, and outbreaks are sporadic and limited in size.

Therefore, in-depth studies in nonhuman primates are the gold standard to evaluate how a whole body and immune system react to a vaccine or therapy and determine the most effective dosages.

The FDA can approve new drugs and vaccines using efficacy data from animals in these cases.

In rare instances, like with previous Ebola outbreaks and the ongoing SUDV outbreak, if vaccines have already undergone rigorous efficacy testing in animals and initial safety testing in humans, it is possible to administer experimental vaccines to people before they have received formal approval and document how well they help control the spread.

“Critical information like this can only be gathered in tightly controlled laboratory settings, not from human patients,” explains Dr. Carrion.

“We are proud to help contribute this knowledge so our partners can develop effective tools to protect people from these deadly viruses, especially as outbreaks become more common.”

Other Sudan ebolavirus vaccine development news is posted at PrecisionVaccinations.com/Ebola.

PrecisionVaccinations publishes fact-checked, research-based vaccine information manually curated for mobile readers.

Sub Title:

Texas Biomed Maximum Containment Contract Research unit

References:

Macaque Model of Sudan Virus Disease Model for Support of Product Development

Texas Biomed at forefront of Sudan ebolavirus biomedical R&D

Image:

Google News Keywords:

Ebola, sudan, vaccines, Uganda

Featured:

Fact checked:

Wednesday, December 21, 2022 - 07:30

Image Caption:

Texas Biomedical Research Institute

Uganda Unlocks Following Recent Sudan Ebola Outbreak

Donald Hackett — Sun, 18 Dec 2022 19:17:25 +0000

Reviewer:

Robert Carlson, MD

The Voice of America (VOA) reported yesterday the Republic of Uganda's Vice President Jessica Alupo announced that the government was immediately lifting all movement restrictions and curfews in the Mubende and Kassanda districts regarding the Sudan Ebolavirus (SUDV) outbreak.

Ugandan authorities announced last month that new SUDV cases were decreasing, and the last confirmed patient was discharged at the end of November.

The current SUDV outbreak was declared on September 20, 2022.

Since then, Uganda has reported 142 confirmed SUDV cases and 56 deaths, spreading the disease to the capital city of Kampala, which has over 1.5 million residents, says the World Health Organization (WHO).

To reduce the potential for spreading the SUDV, Kampala's airport has been screening outbound travelers.

And in the U.S., arriving air passengers from Uganda have also been screened for the virus.

On November 1, 2022, the WHO revised its risk assessment for this SUDV outbreak from high to very high at the national level and from low to high at the regional level, while the risk remained low at the global level.

The last SUDV outbreak in Uganda was reported in 2012.

"The lifting of the restrictions is based on the fact that no transmission, no contact under follow-up, no patients are in the isolation facilities," Alupo commented in a televised address delivered on December 17, 2022, reported VOA.

However, Alupa warned that the government remained on "high alert" for any resurgence in cases.

The good news announced recently by the WHO is there are human clinical trials underway evaluating SUDV vaccine candidates.

The WHO has scheduled a briefing for these studies on January 12, 2023.

While U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) vaccines target the Zaire Ebolavirus, one is not approved for the SUDV.

The Ervebo® Ebola Vaccine was FDA-approved in 2019 and Listed by the WHO.

It is a live, recombinant, replication-competent vaccine and was genetically engineered to express the main glycoprotein from the Zaire ebolavirus to provoke a neutralizing immune response to Ebolavirus infections.

Additional Ebola outbreak and vaccine development news are posted at Vax-Before-Travel.com/Ebola.

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

Sub Title:

Sudan ebola vaccine candidates are conducting clinical trials

References:

WHO - Uganda Sudan Ebolaviris outbreak

WHO- Jan 2023 briefing

Image:

Google News Keywords:

Ebola, Sudan, vaccines

Featured:

Fact checked:

Monday, December 19, 2022 - 06:30

Image Caption:

WHO Africa

These Ebola Vaccines Found Protective

Karen McClorey Hackett — Thu, 15 Dec 2022 14:12:55 +0000

Reviewer:

Robert Carlson, MD

While the world has recently focused on the Sudan ebolavirus outbreak in the Republic of Uganda and its lack of protective vaccines, a new study clarifies the value of other Ebolavirus strains vaccines.

Zaire Ebolavirus has been causing outbreaks in Africa with high mortality and morbidity for years.

Two vaccine strategies to prevent Ebola virus disease (EVD) have received World Health Organization (WHO) prequalification status and were used during the most recent outbreaks.

Since 2019, Zaire Ebola vaccines have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), European Medicines Agency, and the U.K.

The rVSVΔG-ZEBOV-GP (Ervebo®) vaccine is designed as a one-dose vaccine and has been recommended for reactive ring vaccination use in persons at high risk for exposure during outbreaks.

The ring strategy is used to identify contacts and contacts of contacts.

And the Ad26.ZEBOV–MVA-BN-Filo (Zabdeno and Mvabea) combination is a two-dose regimen, with the vaccines administered 56 days apart, that the WHO has recently recommended for persons at some risk for EVD but are not considered to be at high risk.

A New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) Original Article published on December 14, 2022, presented the Partnership for Research on Ebola Vaccinations (PREVAC) Study team's findings.

This NEJM article presented the results of two randomized, placebo-controlled trials with 1,400 adults and 1,401 children.

Among adults and children, the incidence of injection-site reactions and symptoms was higher the week after receipt of the primary and second or booster vaccinations than after receipt of placebo but not at later time points.

But these events were essentially low-grade.

At month 12 of the PREVAC study:

a total of 41% of adults (titer, 401 EU per milliliter) and 78% of children (titer, 828 EU per milliliter) had a response in the Ad26–MVA group,
76% (titer, 992 EU per milliliter) and 87% (titer, 1415 EU per milliliter), respectively, had a response in the rVSV group,
81% (titer, 1037 EU per milliliter) and 93% (titer, 1745 EU per milliliter), respectively, had a response in the rVSV–booster group,
3% (titer, 93 EU per milliliter) and 4% (titer, 67 EU per milliliter), respectively, had a response in the placebo group (P<0.001 for all comparisons of vaccine with placebo).
In adults and children, antibody responses with the vaccine differed from those with placebo beginning on day 14.

In summary, this PREVAC study found that all three vaccine regimens produced immune responses from day 14 through month 12.

The WHO recently reported good news regarding Uganda's recent Sudan ebolavirus disease (SYDV) outbreak.

As of early December, there are no active SUDV cases.

Since the outbreak declaration on September 20 until December 5, 2022, the Uganda Ministry of Health reported a total of 142 confirmed cases.

Among them, 55 deaths occurred, leading to a CFR of 39%.

And the number of SUDV cases among healthcare workers remains unchanged, with 19 confirmed cases and seven deaths.

Vax-Before-Travel posts other SUDV outbreak news.

Additional Zaire vaccine and Sudan vaccine candidate news are posted at PrecisionVaccinations.com/Ebola.

PrecisionVaccinations publishes fact-checked, research-based vaccine information manually curated for mobile readers.

Sub Title:

Zaire ebolavirus vaccines are authorized

References:

Vaccines for Zaire Ebola Virus Disease

WHO Ebola virus disease: Vaccines

US CDC ebola vaccines

SUDV outbreak in Uganda

Image:

Google News Keywords:

Ebola, vaccines, Africa

Featured:

Fact checked:

Friday, December 16, 2022 - 07:15

Image Caption:

U.S. CDC

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

55,000 Sudan Ebolavirus Vaccine Candidates Coming by Year End

Donald Hackett — Tue, 25 Oct 2022 11:41:46 +0000

Reviewer:

Robert Carlson, MD

Holly Lutmer PharmD

The nonprofit scientific research organization IAVI and Merck & Co., Inc. announced today they have entered into an agreement that could enable IAVI to accelerate the entry of a Sudan ebolavirus (SUDV) vaccine candidate that could be deployed in the Republic of Uganda this year.

The Ministry of Health of Uganda has declared a SUDV outbreak in several districts that have claimed about 28 lives since late September 2022.

Merck confirmed on October 25, 2022, plans to produce and provide vials of candidate vaccines from existing investigational drug substance to IAVI to supplement IAVI's ongoing SUDV vaccine development program.

Science.org reported on October 23, 2022, that Merck had about 100,000 potential doses in a Pennsylvania facility.

The new investigational vaccine is based on the same vesicular stomatitis virus viral vector platform in ERVEBO®, Merck's single-dose Zaire ebolavirus vaccine that has been approved by the U.S. FDA and several other regulatory authorities.

Mark Feinberg, M.D., Ph.D., president and CEO of IAVI, commented in a related press release, "We are grateful to Merck for supplying the vaccine material, and we look forward to the opportunity to demonstrate vaccine effectiveness and safety so that we are prepared for future outbreaks of SUDV, as well as the SUDV outbreak in Uganda should it not be promptly contained by public health measures alone."

However, the actual vaccine production schedule is still being defined.

Based on the quantities of available bulk drug substance and current plans, Merck stated it hopes to be able to deliver approximately 55,000 doses by the end of 2022.

The number of doses provided by Merck should be sufficient for conducting Phase I and efficacy studies as well as for public health response if the outbreak in Uganda continues or spreads and should the vaccine candidate be found efficacious.

IAVI will act as developer and regulatory sponsor and will be responsible for all aspects of the future development of the vaccine candidate.

IAVI is additionally working to accelerate the manufacture of doses of IAVI's VSV-SUDV vaccine should they be needed.

Other SUDV vaccine candidates have been announced, which are listed at PrecicionVaccinations.com/Ebola.

PrecisionVaccinations publishes fact-checked, research-based vaccine news manually curated for mobile readers.

Sub Title:

Merck Sudan ebolavirus vaccine

References:

IAVI and Merck Partner on Sudan Ebolavirus Vaccine

Merck locates frozen batch of undisclosed Ebola vaccine

Ebola vaccines 2022

Image:

Google News Keywords:

ebola, sudan, ebolavirus, vaccine

Featured:

Fact checked:

Tuesday, October 25, 2022 - 12:45

Image Caption:

Republic of Uganda

U.S. Prepares for Sudan Ebolavirus Potential Arrival

Donald Hackett — Thu, 13 Oct 2022 17:09:05 +0000

Reviewer:

Robert Carlson, MD

Holly Lutmer PharmD

The U.S. CDC's Clinician Outreach and Communication Activity call on October 12, 2022, offered an emergency update on Uganda's ongoing Sudan Ebolavirus (SUDV) outbreak.

Led by Trevor Shoemaker, Ph.D., MPH, and Mary Choi, MD, MPH, this CDC presentation call reviewed the SUDV outbreak in Mubende District, which was declared on September 20, 2022.

Since then, Uganda's Ministry of Health has confirmed nineteen people have died from SUDV, indicating a case fatality rate of about 40%.

Before 2022, there were seven SUDV outbreaks, with 792 cases and 426 related deaths.

While Uganda focuses on its current SUDV outbreak, the World Health Organization has elevated this situation as a potential risk to other countries.

This health risk has been accessed as low by the WHO and the CDC due to source control measures at local airports and in the U.S.

About 140 travelers from Uganda arrive in the U.S. daily.

These passengers are now funneled into five U.S. airports for SUDV screening.

These travelers are followed-up post arrival by the U.S. government.

However, since SUDV infection incubation periods can reach seven days, airport screening may miss infected passengers, said the CDC team.

In the U.S., the CDC has mobilized various resources, such as multi-disciplinary CDC Ebola Response Teams and coordinating with the 10 Regional Special Pathogens Treatment Centers.

Currently, nine laboratories can test SUDV samples.

Furthermore, the CDC is activating 28 Laboratory Response Network laboratories to extend local preparations.

Unfortunately, there are no U.S. FDA-approved SUDV vaccines or treatments as of October 13, 2022.

However, the MBP134 experimental antibody cocktail therapy has demonstrated efficacy in preventing mortality due to infection with SUDV in non-human primates.

And there are two experimental vaccine candidates (University of Oxford; Sabin) preparing to undergo evaluation in Uganda.

But, available evidence suggests Ervebo® (rVSVΔG-ZEBOV-GP), the FDA-licensed vaccine against the Zaire Ebolavirus strain, would not provide cross-protection against a SUDV infection.

During this CDC call, an important suggestion for U.S.-based healthcare providers, when presented with a potential SUDV patient, collect travel history for ill patients presenting with a clinical picture suggestive of an infectious etiology.

To notify healthcare providers and international travelers of their potential health risks, the CDC issued an Alert - Level 2, Practice Enhanced Precautions, regarding Uganda's outbreak on October 4, 2022.

The CDC says travelers should isolate immediately and seek medical care if they develop signs and symptoms like fever, muscle pain, sore throat, diarrhea, weakness, vomiting, stomach pain, or unexplained bleeding or bruising during or for up to 21 days after travel.

The CDC staff indicated a severely SUDV-infected patient exhibits extensive vomiting.

As a resource for public health departments, the CDC's Viral Special Pathogens Branch is available 24/7 for consultations by calling CDC Emergency Operations Center (770-488-7100).

The full CDC call and presentation are linked.

PrecisionVaccinations publishes fact-based, research-based vaccine news manually curated for mobile readers.

Sub Title:

Sudan ebolavirus lacks vaccines and treatments

References:

CDC Emergency Preparedness and Response

CDC COCA Call - Sudan Ebolavirus

Alert - Level 2, Practice Enhanced Precautions

CDCHAN-00477

Image:

Google News Keywords:

Ebola, Sudan, ebolavirus, vaccine, uganda

Featured:

Fact checked:

Tuesday, October 25, 2022 - 21:00

Image Caption:

by Djedj P.

Can Airport Screening Identify Escaping Ebola?

Donald Hackett — Wed, 12 Oct 2022 13:16:24 +0000

Reviewer:

Robert Carlson, MD

Holly Lutmer PharmD

Historic outbreaks of the Ebola virus are typically isolated and usually affect a few hundred people at a time. However, with innovative vaccines and antibody treatments available, recent Ebola outbreaks have been limited and less fatal.

However, the current Sudan Ebolovius (SUDV) outbreak in the Republic of Uganda does not have access to U.S. FDA-approved vaccines or treatments.

And recent data from the Uganda Ministry of Health posted on Twitter indicates the SUDV case fatality rate exceeds 40%.

Since late September 2022, about 19 SUDV fatalities have been reported during Uganda's fifth outbreak since 2000.

"Our primary focus is to control and contain this [#Ebola] outbreak rapidly and to protect neighboring districts & countries. WHO is fully committed to supporting [#Uganda] with our partners to save lives & end this outbreak." – Tweeted @DrTedros, the WHO's director general, on October 12, 2022.

And with the recent BBC news of a confirmed SUDV fatality at Kiruddu National Referral Hospital in Uganda's capital city of Kampala, the global risk for this disease spreading has been elevated.

According to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics, about 100,000 tourists visited this central African country pre-COVID pandemic.

This data indicates air travel could become a significant source of risks.

In anticipation of this development, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Department of Homeland Security Customs and Border Protection began screening passengers for Ebola at five U.S. airports on October 6, 2022.

Furthermore, the CDC's recent Alert - Level 2, Practice Enhanced Precautions, alerts says travelers (Uganda) should avoid contact with dead bodies, including participating in funeral or burial rituals.

However, history indicates stopping the spread of Ebola has been challenging.

The Ebola virus is transmitted from person to person through direct contact with blood, secretions, or other bodily fluids of an infected person.

Recently, the U.K. Health Security Agency stated on October 6, 2022; there is no evidence of an airborne route of Ebola transmission. But transmission via large saliva droplets may be possible.

From 2014-2016, infections from the SUDV caused more than 11,000 deaths in West Africa.

During that time, several cases of Ebola were also diagnosed in other countries, including the U.S., due to infected travelers that had unknowingly incubated the virus while flying.

The BMJ Global Health reported in June 2018: This qualitative study found that the UK EVD screening process was perceived to be acceptable to assess individual risk and provide information and advice to travelers.

However, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has a different recommendation.

On October 12, 2022, the ECDC announced screening travelers returning from Uganda would not be an effective measure to prevent the introduction of SUDV in Europe.

Instead, both experience and evidence show that exit screening (in Uganda) can be an effective measure to support the containment of the disease spread, wrote the ECDC.

The CDC's travel alert issued on October 4, 2022, says travelers should isolate immediately and seek medical care if they develop SUDV signs and symptoms during or for up to 21 days after travel.

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

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

Sub Title:

Sudan Ebolavirus lacks effective vaccine and treatment

References:

Airport Exit and Entry Screening for Ebola — 2014

UK Public health message to NHS service providers

https://www.dhs.gov/science-and-technology/news/2021/04/20/feature-article-new-tech-makes-detecting-airborne-ebola-virus-possibl

Qualitative study of Ebola screening at UK ports of entry

Airport Entry and Exit Screening of Ebola in Sierra Leone 2014 to 2016

Health Alert – Enhanced Screening at Designated U.S. Airports

Ebola outbreak in Uganda under ECDC monitoring

Image:

Google News Keywords:

Ebola, Sudan, airport, vaccines. tsa. screening

Featured:

Fact checked:

Thursday, October 13, 2022 - 23:00

Image Caption:

U.S. TSA

U.S. CDC Confirms Sudan Ebolavirus Outbreak Risks

Donald Hackett — Thu, 06 Oct 2022 17:47:33 +0000

Reviewer:

Robert Carlson, MD

Holly Lutmer PharmD

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued today Health Advisory CDCHAN-00477, focused on Uganda's current Sudan Ebolavirus disease (EVD) outbreak.

This is the fifth outbreak of EVD caused by the Sudan virus in Uganda since 2000.

As of October 6, 2022, a total of 44 confirmed cases, ten confirmed deaths, and 20 probable deaths of EVD have been identified in Uganda since the outbreak began in September 2022.

The current Ebola outbreak has a 69% case fatality rate.

However, the CDC confirmed no suspected, probable, or confirmed EVD cases related to this outbreak have yet been reported in the USA.

To notify international travelers of their potential Ebola risks, the CDC published an Alert - Level 2, Practice Enhanced Precautions, travel notice on October 4, 2022.

The geographic scope of this EVD outbreak is currently limited to five districts in central Uganda, but not the capital city of Kampala or the international travel hub of Entebbe.

While there are no direct flights from Uganda to the USA, travelers from or passing through affected areas in Uganda can enter the U.S. on flights connecting from other countries.

Significantly, EVD is not spread through aerosol transmission.

However, beginning today, out of an abundance of caution, all U.S.-bound passengers who have been in Uganda in the 21 days prior to their arrival will be routed to one of the following designated U.S. airports: New York (JFK), Newark, Atlanta, Chicago, or Washington (IAD) for enhanced screening.

As of October 6, 2022, the enhanced screening applies to U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, and visa holders (including Diplomatic and Official visas).

And as an enhanced precaution, the CDC is communicating with public health departments, laboratories, and healthcare workers to raise awareness of this EVD outbreak.

Healthcare providers should be alert for and evaluate any patients suspected of having EVD, particularly among people who have recently traveled to affected areas in Uganda, says the CDC.

Moreover, healthcare personnel can be exposed to the Ebola virus by touching a patient's body fluids, contaminated medical supplies, or contaminated environmental surfaces.

Sudan Ebolavirus is spread through direct contact with the body fluids of a person who is sick with or has died from EVD, infected animals, or with objects like needles that are contaminated with the virus.

While there are U.S. FDA-approved Zaire Ebolavirus vaccines, there is currently no FDA-licensed vaccine to protect against Sudan virus infection nor related treatments.

As of October 6, 2022, a few Sudan Ebolavirus vaccine candidates are preparing to conduct human clinical trials.

Previously, the ERVEBO® (rVSV-ZEBOV) vaccine indicated for the prevention of Zaire ebolavirus was approved by the U.S. FDA.

As a resource for public health departments, the CDC's Viral Special Pathogens Branch is available 24/7 for consultations regarding suspected cases by calling 770-488-7100 and requesting VSPB's on-call epidemiologist or emailing spather@cdc.gov.

Other Ebola travel news is posted at Vax-Before-Travel.

PrecisionVaccinations publishes fact-checked, research-based news manually curated for mobile readership.

Note: Updated for data on October 7, 2022.

Sub Title:

Sudan Ebolavirus health alert issued by CDC

References:

U.S. CDC CDCHAN-00477

CDC Travel Alert - Uganda

Ebola vaccines 2022

Enhanced Screening at Designated U.S. Airports-U. S. Embassy Kampala, Uganda

Image:

Google News Keywords: