More than 200 people in Rwanda have been inoculated against Marburg virus, and the country expects to get more vaccine doses to scale up its immunisation effort, the Minister of Health, Dr Sabin Nsanzimana, said on Thursday, October 10.
He gave the update during a virtual press briefing on Marburg virus outbreak, which was hosted by Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).
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On October 5, Rwanda received 700 doses of investigational single-dose vaccine whose development was led by US-based organisation Sabin Vaccine Institute.
According to a paper published in British medical journal The Lancet, on January 28, 2023, the vaccine was safe, well tolerated, and able to elicit immunity against Marburg virus, and no serious adverse events related to vaccination occurred.
"We have already vaccinated more than 200 people as we speak. There are others being vaccinated. So, we had initially received 700 doses for most at-risk groups,” Nsanzimana said, indicating that they include healthcare workers in two hospitals in Kigali that are considered the virus cluster, and the contacts of confirmed positive cases, which is known as ‘ring vaccination.’
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Nsanzimana said that vaccine is an important tool in managing the virus, indicating that the investigational Marburg virus vaccine from Sabin Vaccine Institute "was one of the solutions we see is going to be helpful."
"Of course, for us saving lives matters, delaying has also its challenges and consequences. We expect some more doses soon. We may also get more in the coming future,” he said, without specifying the amount.
Earlier, Sabin Vaccine Institute stated that it planned to supply additional vaccines, pending a request from Rwandan officials, and authorisation from Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) which is part of the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
"It’s just three days of vaccination; our aim is to make sure we don’t have new infections, and those who are highly exposed are comfortable to treat,” he said, observing that vaccination is an additional protection layer for them, for their families, and for their patients.
"We are learning a lot through this outbreak. It’s not just for us, it’s for the entire world. That’s why we have been transparent on everything we do,” he said, adding, "it’s an important scientific opportunity as well to improve and to be ready for next similar outbreak.”
The Ministry of Health confirmed Rwanda's first-ever outbreak of Marburg virus on September 27.