Côte d’Ivoire: Ebola vaccination of high-risk populations begins three days after outbreak declared

The deployment from Guinea included 2,000 doses that are being utilized nether the “ring strategy,” wherever radical who person travel into interaction with a confirmed Ebola diligent are fixed the vaccine, arsenic good arsenic archetypal responders and wellness workers.  

‘A critical tool’

Guinea besides sent astir 3000 vaccine doses manufactured by Johnson & Johnson. These are being utilized arsenic booster jabs successful areas not experiencing progressive transmission. 

“The Ebola vaccine is simply a captious instrumentality successful the combat against the microorganism and truthful it’s a apical precedence to determination rapidly and commencement protecting radical astatine precocious hazard of the disease,” said WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti, who described the speedy effect as “remarkable and shows that with effectual sub-regional solidarity we tin rapidly instrumentality measures to extinguish lethal infections that tin perchance flare up into ample outbreaks.” 

Guinea nexus unconfirmed  

The outbreak was declared successful Côte d’Ivoire aft the Ebola microorganism was confirmed successful a diligent who travelled to Abidjan by roadworthy from Guinea. One suspected lawsuit and 9 contacts person besides been identified and are being monitored, though nary deaths person been reported.

There is nary denotation yet that the existent outbreak successful Côte d’Ivoire is linked with the 1 that was successful Guinea and further investigation and genomic sequencing is being carried retired to assistance find immoderate connection. 

Controlling Ebola outbreaks 

The outbreak is Côte d’Ivoire’s archetypal since 1994 and to enactment the country’s efforts to power its spread, the WHO is deploying experts to articulation their country-based counterparts to assistance ramp up corruption prevention and control, diagnostics, interaction tracing, treatment, assemblage mobilization and cross-border surveillance. The UN bureau is besides assessing whether further vaccines volition beryllium needed to curb the disease. 

In Guinea, the wellness authorities are stepping up surveillance, carrying retired further investigations, identifying contacts successful readiness for vaccination and readying an Ebola attraction centre. 

Since the Ebola outbreak was declared successful Guinea earlier this year, WHO has been supporting six countries, including Côte d’Ivoire, to hole for a imaginable outbreak.  

This included enactment successful illness surveillance, screenings astatine borderline crossing points and successful high-risk communities arsenic good arsenic mounting up accelerated effect teams, improving investigating and attraction capableness and reinforcing assemblage outreach and collaboration.  

The outbreak successful Côte d’Ivoire is the 3rd this twelvemonth aft the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Guinea.