UNICEF, on behalf of ICG will manage the stockpile, and as with stockpiles of cholera, meningitis and yellow fever vaccines, will be the decision-making body for its allocation and release.Īs Ebola outbreaks are relatively rare and unpredictable, there is no natural market for the vaccine, and doses are only secured through the establishment of stockpiles and are available in limited quantities.Īccording to the UN agencies, an initial 6,890 doses are available for outbreak response and quantities will be added over the coming months to take the emergency stockpile to 500,000 doses, the amount recommended by health experts. “This Ebola vaccine stockpile is a remarkable achievement – one that will allow us to deliver vaccines to those who need them the most as quickly as possible,” she added. Henrietta Fore, Executive Director of UNICEF, said that when it comes to combatting disease outbreaks, “preparedness is key.” The stockpile is stored in Switzerland, and vaccines are ready to be shipped to countries for emergency response.Īn initial 6,890 doses are available for outbreak response and quantities will be added over the coming months to take the emergency stockpile to 500,000 doses, the amount recommended by health experts. The International Coordinating Group on Vaccine Provision (ICG), which includes WHO, UN Children’s Fund ( UNICEF), the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), led efforts to establish the stockpile, with financial support from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. This new stockpile is an excellent example of solidarity, science and cooperation between international organizations and the private sector to save lives.” “Ebola vaccines have made one of the most feared diseases on earth preventable. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the UN World Health Organization ( WHO), underscored the importance of the vaccines to save lives from deadly viruses. Thousands of people have lost their lives to the disease, since the virus was first discovered in 1976. Ebola virus disease is a severe and often fatal illness, with fatality rates varying from 25 per cent to 90 per cent.
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