Completed Infection & Immunity Public Health & Healthcare

Ebola Outbreak Research Response in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Funder Wellcome Charity-funded
Recipient organisation World Health Organization, Switzerland
Funding £3.0M
Period May 2018 — Jun 2019

In plain English

AI plain-English summary

Ebola researchers are vaccinating people in the Democratic Republic of Congo as part of a ring vaccination strategy, using an estimated 7,500 doses of the candidate rVSV vaccine during an active outbreak. This matters because every Ebola outbreak demands a rapid, coordinated response, yet critical gaps remain in how quickly diagnostics, treatments, and vaccines can be deployed and evaluated in real time. Without integrating research directly into the outbreak response, responders lack reliable data on which tools work best under field conditions—especially vaccine safety in target populations and the risk of adverse events. If this research succeeds, it will produce evidence that directly shapes clinical management guidelines from the World Health Organization, update diagnostic protocols, and identify more effective therapeutics. The ring vaccination strategy itself could become a standard model for containing future outbreaks, quietly protecting communities by breaking chains of transmission before they spread. The project also establishes a national research coordination platform within the outbreak response committee, embedding data collection into the emergency infrastructure so that future responses are faster and more evidence-based.

View original technical description
An accurate knowledge of EVD is essential for an effective response to EVD outbreaks. It is therefore important that EVD research is integrated into the outbreak response. The aims of such research are to contribute to the development and evaluation of rapid diagnostic tests, improve clinical management of patients and identify more effective therapeutics for EVD, better understand the risk factors of the disease, as well as test the effectiveness of the candidate Ebola rVSV vaccine. To ensure prompt access and use of candidate Ebola rVSV vaccine through a ring vaccination strategy (estimate 7,500 vaccines) as part of the response to the outbreak, including in particular the evaluation of vaccine safety in target populations to better understand the risk of adverse events in outbreak setting. Key activities are as follows: - Implement a ring vaccination strategy, including the evaluation of vaccine safety. - Appoint a national research coordinator and establish a research coordination platform within the outbreak response committee. - Update diagnostics guidelines, and conduct testing of key candidate diagnostics. - Evaluate and update the WHO guidelines and tools for clinical management. - Carry out operational research on risk factors. - Conduct testing of key candidate therapeutics.

View the original record at the funder ↗

Researchers

Ana Henao-Restrepo (EPMC Awardee)

Related Research

Grants with similar aims, by meaning.

2019 Ebola Outbreak Research Response in the Democratic Republic of Congo
Ebola Virus Disease - correlates of protection, determinants of outcome, and clinical management
European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership - Ebola
Emergency Evaluation of Treatments for Ebola Virus Disease
Development of monoclonal antibody therapeutics for ebolavirus infection

Original classification

Discretionary Award - Vaccines

Plain English summaries and category classifications on this site are generated by AI and may not perfectly reflect the original research.