GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, has announced additional funding to support the response to the Bundibugyo virus disease (BVD) outbreak.

New funding of $7 million will be deployed to provide 70,000 doses of the Ervebo vaccine through the global Ebola vaccine stockpile.

A further $6 million from Gavi’s First Response Fund has also been approved to help countries and partners protect broader immunisation services in high-risk areas and lay the groundwork for Ebola vaccination.

The CEO of Gavi, Dr Sania Nishtar, who announced this, noted that the new funding would help save lives, keep other deadly diseases at bay and support the rollout of the Ervebo vaccine, which has shown promising signs in early data of offering protection against Bundibugyo.

According to the statement made available to The Guardian, the additional investment in Ervebo vaccines follows a decision by the International Coordination Group on Vaccine Provision (ICG), which manages the use of Gavi-funded global vaccine stockpiles for outbreak response, to allocate an initial tranche of 70,000 Ervebo doses to DRC.

The organisation stated that, with these vaccines readily available through the stockpile, deployment could occur rapidly, with administration guided by the WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunisation (WHO SAGE).

Gavi will provide $6 million to protect immunisation services and prepare for Ebola vaccination, as part of a wider commitment of up to $50 million through the Gavi First Response Fund made in May”, it added.

Gavi said that of the total $6 million, approximately $4 million would help the DRC ensure the continuity of immunisation services for more than 1.17 million children under the age of two across the provinces of Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Tshopo and Haut-Uele.

Alongside funding for DRC, $1.5 million from the FRF allocation will support Africa CDC, WHO, and UNICEF’s technical support to countries and the region. A further $500,000 will be invested in strengthening routine immunisation and improving data systems in Uganda, as well as preparing for potential future Ebola vaccine deployment, the statement added.

Among other activities, the funding for DRC will enable mobile vaccination teams in the highest-risk provinces to reach affected communities, providing vaccines, vitamin A and deworming, and help strengthen immunisation monitoring and reporting