WHO, partners stockpile Ebola vaccine
- 12 Jan 2021
Gulf Today Report
On Tuesday, the World Health Organization and partners announced the creation of a global stockpile of Ebola vaccine to help curtail future outbreak.
In a statement, WHO, Doctors Without Borders, UNICEF and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said they are working on creating an emergency reserve of about 500,000 doses.
About 7,000 doses are currently available, more will be added as the year progresses.
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GAVI, vaccine alliance provided financial aid for the creation of the stockpile.
The vaccine is made by Merck, it has been used to curb the Ebola outbreak in Guinea and Congo.
The vaccine will be stored in Switzerland, countries can make requests to WHO for the vaccine within 48 hours and targeted delivery will be within one week.
The vaccines will be reserved for those at highest risk of being infected with Ebola during any epidemic, including those exposed to the disease and health workers treating patients and their contacts.