Only 5% of Ebola Vaccines Deployed During Outbreaks

A new U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report describes the use of Ebola vaccines and the role of the stockpile developed and managed by the International Coordinating Group (ICG) on Vaccine Provision.

A total of 145,690 doses have been shipped from the ICG stockpile since 2021.

Because Ebola outbreaks since 2021 have been limited, most doses (139,120; 95%) shipped from the ICG stockpile have been repurposed for preventive vaccination of high-risk groups, compared with 6,570 (5%) used for outbreak response.

The CDC wrote on April 25, 2024, repurposing doses for preventive vaccination could be prioritized in the absence of Ebola outbreaks to prevent transmission and maximize the cost-efficiency and benefits of the stockpile.

Currently, two licensed vaccines are recommended for the prevention of Ebola caused by Orthoebolavirus zairense: 

• The 1-dose rVSVΔG-ZEBOV-GP (ERVEBO®) was licensed by the European Medicines Agency and the Food and Drug Administration in 2019 and is indicated for use in persons aged >12 months. The vaccine has also been approved in Burundi, Central African Republic, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Ghana, Guinea, Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Uganda, and Zambia. The U.S. FDA has approved ERVEBO.
• The 2-dose Ad26.ZEBOV and MVA-BN-Filo (Zabdeno/Mvabea) regimen is recommended for preventive vaccination in areas at lower risk for Ebola (or areas neighboring an outbreak) because the complete regimen is administered over 56 days.

To effectively manage the global Ebola stockpile, the International Coordinating Group on Vaccine Provision ensures equitable and timely access to vaccine doses for Ebola outbreaks, says the CDC.

Ebolaviruses were first discovered in 1976 near the Ebola River in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo. According to the CDC, viral and epidemiologic data suggest that ebolaviruses existed long before the initial recorded outbreaks occurred.