The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations is helping fast-track three Ebola Bundibugyo vaccines candidates.
“With Bundibugyo virus spreading rapidly and no licensed vaccines, every day counts in the race against this deadly disease,” Richard Hatchett, MD, CEO of CEPI, said in a May 31 press release. “CEPI’s urgent funding and support aims to advance safe, effective vaccines to help control this epidemic.”
Here is the latest on the Ebola outbreak:
1. CEPI has committed millions of dollars to the vaccine candidates coming from Moderna, University of Oxford in the U.K. and the International Aids Vaccine Initiative. All of the candidates will be manufactured at the Serum Institute of India in Pune.
- CEPI has committed up to $50 million to Moderna to support preclinical development and phase 1 clinical testing of the company’s mRNA candidate.
- CEPI is giving $8.6 million to Oxford for phase 1 trials of a vaccine based on its ChAdOx1 platform, which was used in the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.
- CEPI committed up to $3.2 million to IAVI for preparations necessary to generate a master virus seed stock, using its rVSV vaccine platform, which is based on the Zaire Ebola virus vaccine.
2. Ebola has now reached 15 of 36 health zones in Ituri province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where the outbreak was first identified, and cases have been reported in North and South Kivu provinces. As of June 1, there are 321 confirmed cases in Congo, 48 confirmed deaths and 116 suspected cases, up from 282 confirmed cases and 42 confirmed deaths as of May 31, according to CDC estimates.
3. On June 1, hundreds of Kenyans marched the streets outside the Laikipia Airbase near Nanyuki, Kenya, in protest against the U.S. plans to establish an Ebola treatment center, BBC reported. Police used tear gas to disperse the crowd, and on June 2, a heavy security presence remained. Two people were shot amid the protests though the exact circumstances of the deaths are unclear. One man was reported shot close to the airbase, and died after being taken to the hospital by friends. The other victim was pronounced dead at the hospital, where he was taken by soldiers.
4. Kenya President William Ruto, PhD, defended the U.S. Ebola treatment center, saying that the country has “deployed every arsenal” to protect the country, BBC reported June 1.
“When President [Donald] Trump asked Kenya to support them by having a centre in Laikipia Airbase I gave the OK because it was an agreement with friends who have walked with Kenya for 30, 40 years,” he said.
5. The facility was originally blocked by a Kenyan court May 29 after a lawsuit was filed, arguing that the facility would threaten public health. On June 1, Kenyan authorities said they will continue to build an Ebola treatment complex for “everyone” using U.S. funds, stating it would strengthen emergency response systems. On June 2, Kenya’s High Court ordered the government to disclose details of the facility, including the agreement details, health and biosafety assessments, regulatory approvals and operational protocols, Al Jazeera reported. The court also extended its conservatory orders to halt the Ebola facility and barred admission of individuals exposed to the virus.
6. Congo re-opened its airport in Bunia, the capital city of Ituri, the province with the most Ebola cases. Last month, the government suspended passenger flights, but humanitarian and medical flights continued, subject to approvals. The transport ministry said conditions now allowed for “a gradual and safe resumption of air transport activities” and noted all passengers would have their temperatures screened before boarding and on arrival, be required to wash their hands before boarding and any passenger with a fever would not be allowed to board.
7. Two men in Brazil that were suspected of having Ebola have both tested negative for the virus, BBC reported June 1. In Sao Paulo, a man with a suspected case of Ebola tested positive for meningitis, and another patient with a suspected case in Rio de Janeiro tested positive for malaria.
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