Supply delays hit planned Ebola vaccine stockpile

ABSTRACT

Speed read Gavi and partners announce global stockpile of Ebola vaccine However only 6,890 doses available because of “supply bottlenecks” Target could take up to three years to reach because of supply issues Supply chain delays must be addressed to speed up creation of a stockpile of vaccines against deadly Ebola disease, researchers say. “By creating a stockpile of 500,000 doses of the Ebola vaccine, available to all countries, we can help prevent loss of life and swiftly end Ebola outbreaks in the future,” Gavi CEO Seth Berkley The new Ebola vaccine was used to tackle a two-year long outbreak in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, which was declared over last June after 300,000 people were immunised. The first deliveries of doses into the stockpile are being funded through a US$20 million contribution from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Since Ebola outbreaks are relatively rare and unpredictable, there is no natural market for the vaccine, the WHO explained.