International health experts convened by the World Health Organization (WHO) were due to meet on Tuesday to assess possible vaccine options to help contain a major Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo involving the rare Bundibugyo strain.
The outbreak has already been linked to 500 cases and 131 suspected deaths, according to WHO figures, prompting both the WHO and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) to declare a public health emergency.
The Bundibugyo strain of Ebola has no approved vaccine or specific treatment and carries a fatality rate of up to 40%, raising concern among health authorities over the risk of further spread in the conflict-affected region.
Health experts are expected to discuss whether existing Ebola vaccines could offer some level of protection against the strain and whether emergency trials should be considered.
Among the options under review is Ervebo, the Ebola vaccine produced by Merck and currently approved for the Ebola Zaire strain. While it was not designed for Bundibugyo, animal studies have shown it may provide partial protection.
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“When you have an outbreak with a strain that does not have countermeasures, we are going to advise on the best approach to take,” Dr Mosoka Fallah, acting director of the science department at Africa CDC, told Reuters.
“We will look at what evidence we have and make a decision,” he added.
The meeting comes as health officials race to contain the outbreak in Ituri province, where local health systems are already under pressure from insecurity and limited medical infrastructure.
Images from Bunia General Referral Hospital showed health workers and residents responding to the outbreak after authorities confirmed cases involving the Bundibugyo strain over the weekend.
The WHO has previously warned that outbreaks involving less common Ebola strains pose a particular challenge because vaccines and treatments developed over the past decade largely target the more widespread Zaire strain, which caused devastating epidemics in West Africa and parts of Central Africa.
Scientists say additional research is urgently needed to determine whether cross-protection from existing vaccines could help reduce infections and deaths while longer-term solutions are developed.
The latest outbreak has renewed fears of a wider regional health crisis if rapid containment measures are not implemented.
