The only catch is that the vaccine is yet to be approved and licensed by the US FDA (food and drug administration). This is another case of the US complicated approval process that slows down medication with the potential to save hundreds of lives. Now get this, one year and a half has gone since the last outbreak and two effective vaccines exist. One made in China and the other made in Russia, The US is yet to develop an effective vaccine for the virus as officials and agencies are still meandering through the development pipelines.
Congo or the DRC can easily use the vaccine on grounds of a protocol known as "compassionate use" which is a way of providing drugs in development to people in need.
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4,000 Ebola vaccines were dispatched as part of the first consignment to Kinshasa the capital of DRC. The first people to receive the vaccines were health workers and those who were in contact with people who had contracted the virus. The contact tracing method has also managed to identify 382 people who were in contact with those infected with Ebola.
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The present problem is that the vaccine may not reach those in need of it because of several factors like the region and terrain which is a challenge for health workers in DRC. Even storage is an issue where the vaccine needs to be stored at between -60 to – 80 degrees Celsius.
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Although as of now, administering V920 isn’t a simple task for health officials, it still can play a huge role in containing the virus and preventing it from spreading in Africa. The only hurdle WHO needs to overcome are the logistics and prove that the vaccine is indeed effective in stopping the reign of terror Ebola has unleashed in Africa that if allowed to go out of hand may spread worldwide too.
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