Health workers in the Democratic Republic of Congo have started a test vaccination campaign in parts of the country severely affected by an ongoing Ebola outbreak. The program began Saturday and is focused on determining whether a vaccine developed for a different strain of the virus can still be effective in this setting.
The vaccine was not designed for the specific strain responsible for the current outbreak. Instead, the trial is investigating whether it can provide useful protection despite the mismatch, which could expand the tools available for responding to Ebola outbreaks when strain-specific vaccines are not ready or available.
The testing is taking place in the areas worst hit by the deadly outbreak. The outcome may help guide future vaccination strategies, particularly if the vaccine proves capable of protecting against multiple strains of the virus.