One decade after the deadliest Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak in history wreaked havoc on the country and its healthcare workforce, Sierra Leone will become the first country, among the three most severely affected 10 years ago by the West Africa Ebola outbreak, to launch a nationwide preventive Ebola vaccination campaign targeting frontline workers.
The launch takes off on Thursday, December 5, 2024.
According to a Press release by the implementing partners, the campaign, implemented by the Sierra Leone Ministry of Health in partnership with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance (Gavi), World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF, will target 20,000 frontline workers in all 16 districts across the country.
A single dose of the Ebola vaccine Ervebo will be administered to healthcare professionals,
front-line workers and first responders such as motorbike riders/ambulance drivers,
traditional healers, religious leaders, security forces and others who are at high risk of being exposed to EVD.
Vaccines are provided from the Gavi-funded global vaccine stockpile administered by the International Coordinating Group on (ICG) Vaccine Provision. Gavi is also providing funding for implementing the vaccination campaign, with technical assistance support to the MOH provided by WHO and UNICEF.
This preventive vaccination campaign comes one decade after the deadly 2014-16 Ebola
outbreak, which was declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)
by WHO.
That outbreak resulted in more than 11,000 deaths, primarily in West Africa, but cases were detected in 10 countries around the world. Of these, Sierra Leone was the hardest hit, with close to 9,000 confirmed cases and probable cases, including close to 4,000 deaths.
Alongside the devastating loss of life and long-ranging economic impacts, the outbreak affected Sierra Leone’s health system deeply: killing nearly 7% of the healthcare workforce, who were up to 32 times more likely to be infected by Ebola than the general
adult population, according to WHO.
“This nationwide preventive vaccination campaign marks a significant step in strengthening
our health system. Protecting our frontline workers is vital to our National Health Security
Plan, ensuring preparedness and resilience against future health threats. This is an
investment in the safety of our people and a healthier Sierra Leone,” said Dr. Austin Demby,
Minister of Health, Sierra Leone.
At the time of the 2014 West Africa outbreak, there were no approved vaccines. Gavi took
immediate action to incentivize rapid development and production, announcing its
commitment to purchase eligible vaccines and later signing an agreement to secure 300,000 investigational doses of Ervebo and funding their use by countries and partners to respond to outbreaks – helping demonstrate the near 100% efficacy of the vaccine.
In 2021, Gavi agreed to fund a global stockpile of 500,000 doses of Ebola vaccine. This stockpile is managed by the ICG, with doses procured by UNICEF, and it is accessible to any country in the world.
Since then, nearly 146,000 doses have been shipped from the stockpile through 2023, 95% have been repurposed for preventive vaccination of high-risk groups, and 5% used in outbreak response.
