The World Health Organisation has issued a stark warning: the current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo may take months to contain due to a shortage of vaccines. As of this morning, confirmed cases have risen to 47, with 23 fatalities. The epicentre, a remote area near the Rwandan border, is proving difficult to access.
'The virus is moving faster than our response,' said Dr Yolanda Kintu, WHO incident manager. The ring vaccination strategy, which proved effective in 2018, requires a stockpile that is now depleted. The next batch of the Ervebo vaccine will not be ready for at least 12 weeks.
This is not merely a logistical failure but a predictable one. Global vaccine stockpiles have been underfunded for years, and the system operates on a just-in-time basis. When an outbreak occurs, we scramble to fill the gap. The physical reality is that manufacturing a vaccine involves growing viral vectors in cell cultures, a process that cannot be accelerated without compromising safety.
Dr Helena Vance: 'We are watching a biosphere collapse in slow motion. Pathogens thrive when ecosystems are destabilised, and our response systems are brittle.'
The outbreak began in a region that has seen deforestation and increased human-wildlife contact. The reservoir hosts, fruit bats, are losing their habitat. We are creating the conditions for spillover events. This is not an accident; it is a consequence.
Containment efforts have been hindered by community mistrust, partly due to historical exploitation by mining companies and the government. Health workers are met with suspicion. 'They think we are bringing the virus,' said Dr Kintu. 'In some ways, they are right. Our presence signals danger.'
The WHO is calling for an emergency investment of $50 million to ramp up production and deploy additional health teams. But even if funded today, the structural constraints of vaccine manufacturing mean we are looking at a timeline measured in months.
This outbreak is a test. It is a test of our ability to learn from past mistakes. The 2014 West Africa outbreak killed over 11,000 people before a coordinated international response turned the tide. We have the tools, but we lack the resolve to stockpile them adequately.
Dr Vance: 'We treat these events as exceptions. They are not. They are the new baseline. We need to accept that and act accordingly.'
As the sun sets over the affected villages, the silence is punctuated by the sound of helicopters delivering medical supplies. It is a scene that has become painfully familiar. The question is whether we will wait for the next outbreak to again be surprised.
