Cote d’Ivoire has launched an Ebola vaccination program for high-risk populations, including health workers and first responders in Abidjan, where an Ebola outbreak was declared on August 14, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
The outbreak in Cote d’Ivoire is the third this year after the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Guinea.
Cote d’Ivoire was able to swiftly begin the vaccinations on August 16 with the rVSV-ZEBOV Ebola vaccine manufactured by Merck.
The vaccine deployment from Guinea included 2,000 doses from Merck that are being used under the “ring strategy” where people who have come into contact with a confirmed Ebola patient are given the vaccine, as well as first responders and health workers. In addition, Guinea sent around 3,000 vaccine doses manufactured by Johnson & Johnson, which are to be used to boost the vaccination in areas not experiencing active transmission.
Guinea has also deployed five vaccination experts and provided monoclonal antibody treatments to Cote d’Ivoire, which declared an outbreak after confirming the Ebola virus in a patient who travelled to Abidjan by road from Guinea. The patient is currently receiving treatment at a hospital in Abidjan. Effective early treatment, which currently exists, and supportive care can significantly improve chances of surviving Ebola.
In addition to the confirmed case, one suspected case and nine contacts have been identified and are being monitored. No deaths have been reported. There is no indication yet that the current outbreak in Cote d’Ivoire is linked with the one that was in Guinea. Further analysis and genomic sequencing will help determine any connection.
To support Cote d’Ivoire’s efforts to control the outbreak, the first since 1994, WHO is deploying experts to join their country-based counterparts to help ramp up infection prevention and control, diagnostics, contact tracing, treatment, community mobilization and cross-border surveillance. The organization is also assessing whether additional vaccines will be needed to curb the disease.
In Guinea, the health authorities are stepping up surveillance, carrying out further investigations, identifying contacts, and deploying an Ebola treatment center.
Since the Ebola outbreak was declared in Guinea earlier this year, WHO has helping six countries, including Cote d’Ivoire, prepare for a potential outbreak. This included support in disease surveillance, screenings at border crossing points and in high-risk communities, as well as setting up rapid response teams, improving testing and treatment capacity, and reinforcing community outreach and collaboration.
