HEALTH | EBOLA | SINOVAC

BEIJING - Due to the latest Ebola outbreak in Uganda, Chinese vaccine manufacturing giant Sinovac has contemplated a plan to redirect efforts towards fighting the deadly hemorrhagic fever.

The Uganda health ministry confirmed the outbreak of the rare Sudan strain of the deadly virus last week prompting panic in the public and the health sector which is emerging from the diverse effects of COVID-19.

Since the outbreak, according to the health minister, Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng, 35 positive cases have been confirmed and seven people have died including one Tanzanian doctor.

The number of 65 health workers, Aceng confirmed that they had been exposed to the virus and that all the 65 health workers were under quarantine.

In an interview with the New Vision at the sidelines of the international media gala dinner hosted by the company in conjunction with the China International Press Communication Centre (CIPCC) in Beijing over the weekend, the medical field director of Sinovac, Yongjun Gao, disclosed that following the latest outbreak of Ebola in Uganda, the company was ready to offer any kind of support required to fight the disease.

African journalists arrive at Sinovac offices in Beijing China. (All Photos By Nelson Kiva)

He disclosed that the company hierarchy was aware and had discussed the latest Ebola outbreak in Uganda.

“Our company will study whether vaccines can be the way to control this disease which is a challenge to Uganda and Africa as a region.

We will assess whether it will require us to get involved in the manufacturing of the new type of vaccine to fight Ebola,” he said.

He added; “I know some companies in China are already in the process of developing the Ebola vaccine to fight the outbreaks.

But we shall do a feasibility assessment first to see if there is a need for our company to also get involved.”

Vaccination using rVSV-ZEBOV Ebola vaccine has been one of the interventions recently deployed by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the health authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) against the deadly disease.

The DRC has had 14 Ebola outbreaks since 1976 and six since 2018.

“It’s our responsibility to help in controlling the Ebola outbreak and it’s also our responsibility to continue closely following those outbreaks because Uganda or Africa’s public health challenge is also our challenge because as a company we have an obligation to help people across the world to address their public health problems,” Gao said.

Uganda in conjunction with WHO have put out an appeal for over sh69.3b approximately $18m for an effective response to contain the disease in the next three months.

A cake decorated in over 78 national flags of nationalities of different journalists who attended the international media gala dinner hosted by Sinovac in Beijing.

“Sinovac will stand with the people of Uganda to fight the Ebola outbreak and we can come together with authorities to find the way acceptable by Ugandan people and which is within our capability to support Ugandan friends to fight this outbreak,” Gao said.

Per WHO, out of the seven previous outbreaks of the Ebola Sudan strain, four have been in Uganda while the rest three in Sudan.

Uganda, according to the global health body, last reported an outbreak of Ebola Sudan strain in 2012 and an outbreak of the Ebola Zaire strain in 2019.

However, WHO adds that Ebola Sudan strain was less transmissible and has shown a lower fatality rate in previous outbreaks than its cousin Ebola Zaire, a strain that killed nearly 2,300 people between 2018-2020 in DRC.

Ebola, is a viral hemorrhagic fever of humans and other primates caused by Ebola viruses, presents with alert signs and symptoms that include; bleeding through the eyes, nose, gums, ears, and private parts.

Other signs are sudden fever, feeling tired, muscle pains, headache, sore throat, vomiting blood, diarrhea and rash.

Ebola spreads through human-to-human transmission via direct contact, through broken skin or mucous membranes, blood, secretions such as urine, faeces, sweat of a person infected with Ebola, vomit, saliva and coming into contact with a person who has died of Ebola.

Ebola caused global alarm in 2014 when the world's worst outbreak began in West Africa, killing more than 11,300 people and infecting an estimated 28,600 as it swept through Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone.

Sinovac, CIPCC officials and journalists watch a video of Sinovac partnerships in Africa and other areas.

Prior to the latest outbreak, Uganda had intensified Ebola screening in all districts mostly along the border with the DRC given the recent outbreaks in its eastern neighbor.

Recent Ebola outbreaks in DRC according to WHO were in Beni Health Zone in the North Kivu province and the epicentre of the outbreak.

The epicentre of the outbreak being close to Uganda’s border to the West greatly concerned the Kampala health authorities.

Sinovac Biotech Limited, the Chinese leading biopharmaceutical company focuses on the research, innovation, manufacture and commercialisation of vaccines that protect against human infectious diseases and it’s on the fore-front of fighting COVID-19.

At the peak of desperation following the outbreak of the novel virus, WHO in June 2021 validated the Sinovac-CoronaVac COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use, giving countries, funders, procuring agencies and communities the assurance that it meets international standards for safety, efficacy and manufacturing.

According to Sinovac international president, Weidong Yin, the company has since become the largest COVID-19 vaccines supplier from China.

Sinovac gifted journalists in reconginition for their role in the fight against COVID-19 pandemic.

He said by September, 2022 the total global supply of the Sinovac vaccine had hit 2.88 billion doses of which 1.75 billion doses are supplied to China and 1.13 billion doses are supplied to countries and regions outside China.

“Cumulative global administrations of 2.5 billion doses of Sinovac is accounting for approximately 22% of the total global administrated of Covid-19 vaccines,” he said.

Out of the 1.64 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines supplied through the COVAX facility, Sinovac has supplied 118 million doses of Sinovac vaccine.

While reviewing a global research about Sinovac vaccine performance, Gao reported that the company was developing new vaccines in response to the ever changing nature of the virus.

“We are well aware of the changing nature of the virus and we are developing new vaccines against Omicron such as BA.4 and BA.5 sub- variants just to keep close and keep pace with the evolving nature of the virus,” he said.

He said the new vaccines currently undergoing clinical trials include Omicron Basic Vaccine and Trivalent Vaccine. “We specifically need time to see and assess the results,” he said.