NAIROBI, Kenya – Kenya has requested 10,000 doses of an Ebola vaccine, with frontline health workers set to receive priority if the doses are secured, as authorities intensify efforts to contain the Bundibugyo virus outbreak.
Director-General for Health Dr Patrick Amoth said the government had approached the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) for assistance in obtaining the vaccines.
However, the request comes with a major scientific caveat: there is currently no licensed vaccine specifically approved to protect against Bundibugyo virus disease, and evidence that the existing Ervebo vaccine works against this strain remains insufficient.
WHO recommends that Ervebo be used against Bundibugyo only within a research protocol designed to establish whether it offers protection.
Amoth disclosed the request during a WHO Africa Region briefing on Thursday, October 22, as Kenya continued treating confirmed cases and monitoring people who had been exposed to the virus.
Why the Vaccine Request Comes With Caution
The vaccine Kenya is seeking is likely to be Ervebo, which is licensed for protection against Ebola virus disease caused by the Zaire ebolavirus species.
Bundibugyo is a different species, and researchers have yet to establish whether Ervebo provides meaningful protection against it in humans.
WHO says evidence from animal studies suggests the vaccine might offer some protection, but the available evidence is not sufficient to determine its effectiveness against Bundibugyo.
The organisation therefore recommends using the vaccine within a carefully designed research protocol, such as a clinical trial or an observational study that systematically measures vaccine effectiveness. Recipients must also be informed that protection against Bundibugyo has not been established.
The proposed vaccination effort would therefore need to follow the applicable research and public health guidance rather than assume that the vaccine will prevent infection with the strain currently circulating in the region.
Nine Cases Reported in Kenya
Kenya had reported nine confirmed Bundibugyo virus cases, including one death, by October 22, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). The latest case was reported on October 20 and involved a close family contact of the first patient.
Amoth said the eight patients who survived the initial infection were receiving treatment at Kenyatta National Hospital and Nairobi Hospital and were stable and responding well.
He said patients had received a monoclonal antibody treatment known as NB 134, followed by remdesivir, an antiviral medicine administered intravenously.
Monoclonal antibodies are laboratory-produced proteins designed to recognise and help the body fight specific targets associated with disease. The treatment is being administered on a compassionate basis, meaning it is being provided to patients despite not being an established, licensed treatment specifically for Bundibugyo virus disease.
Amoth reported that one patient experienced a drop in oxygen saturation and received supplemental oxygen. He said no other adverse reactions to the monoclonal antibody had been reported.
WHO continues to emphasise the need for research into treatments and vaccines specifically targeting Bundibugyo, alongside established outbreak-control measures.
All 135 Contacts Identified
Amoth said health authorities had identified all 135 people who came into contact with Kenya’s first confirmed patient, who died shortly after falling ill.
The patient was a Kenyan national who had been living and doing business in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). He travelled through Uganda before arriving in Nairobi on October 3 and was confirmed to have Bundibugyo virus disease shortly before his death on October 5.
The contact-tracing exercise included people who had travelled with him, relatives and healthcare workers who may have been exposed.
Amoth acknowledged that locating and placing all contacts under quarantine had initially proved difficult, particularly in Nairobi, where residents move frequently between locations.
He said a multi-agency team involving the Kenya Defence Forces, telecommunications companies and the National Intelligence Service had helped authorities trace people who might have been exposed.
The ECDC reported that 134 of the 135 contacts were under quarantine as of October 22.
First Contacts Set to Leave Quarantine
The Ministry of Health said the first group of contacts who entered quarantine on October 6 would begin leaving from Sunday, October 25, after completing the required 21-day monitoring period without developing symptoms.
Other contacts are expected to be released later, depending on when their individual monitoring periods end and the outcome of health assessments.
Authorities have urged communities to receive those completing quarantine without stigma, noting that people who have completed the required monitoring period without becoming ill are not considered infectious.
WHO Africa Regional Director Dr Mohamed Janabi said the outbreak required coordination across borders because the movement of people could facilitate the spread of the virus.
The organisation is working with Kenya, other affected countries and regional health agencies to strengthen surveillance, trace contacts, protect healthcare workers and improve access to treatment.
Why Health Workers Are a Priority
Prioritising health workers for vaccination would reflect their exposure risks while caring for suspected and confirmed patients. Healthcare personnel have been among those infected during the current outbreak, making infection prevention and protection of frontline staff important components of the response.
However, vaccination would not replace protective equipment, infection-prevention measures, surveillance, contact tracing or safe clinical care.
For now, Kenya’s request for 10,000 doses represents an effort to secure additional protection for frontline personnel, but the vaccine’s ability to prevent Bundibugyo infection remains unproven.
