The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has attributed the absence of an approved vaccine for the current Ebola outbreak to what it described as the limited interest of international partners in diseases predominantly affecting Africa.
The agency’s Director-General, Dr Jean Kaseya, made the observation during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Thursday, arguing that vaccine development would likely have progressed faster if the outbreak were occurring in Western countries.
“If this outbreak was in Western countries, vaccines would already be available,” Kaseya said.
The outbreak is being driven by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, for which there is currently no licensed vaccine or specific treatment. This distinguishes it from another strain targeted by Ervebo, an approved vaccine used against the Zaire ebolavirus.
Kaseya disclosed that the Africa CDC had begun clinical trials of potential vaccines, including a candidate developed in Egypt, in a bid to address the gap in protection against the Bundibugyo strain.
He described the outbreak as exceptionally widespread, with infections reported across three African regions. According to figures cited in the report, the Democratic Republic of Congo alone has recorded more than 9,500 infections and approximately 4,600 deaths.
Nigeria confirmed an Ebola case on Tuesday involving a woman who reportedly arrived from Uganda on October 3, raising concerns about the possibility of further transmission.
Health authorities have commenced contact tracing and monitoring, with 44 people identified as contacts of the infected woman being kept under observation.
The absence of an approved vaccine for the Bundibugyo strain presents an additional challenge for public health officials, who are relying on surveillance, early detection, isolation and monitoring of exposed individuals to contain the outbreak.
