Science: Congo’s Ebola outbreak is all but over. Did an experimental vaccine help?
“…The quick end to this outbreak — after 53 cases in Équateur province, 29 of which were fatal — is a striking contrast to the Ebola epidemic that devastated West Africa from 2014 to 2016 … [A] new factor played an unknown, and perhaps important, role: an experimental vaccine, used for the first time early in an outbreak. No one can say for sure that the vaccine … actually protected against infection. But DRC Minister of Health Oly Ilunga Kalenga calls the vaccination program a ‘game changer,’ as it clearly boosted morale and encouraged other public health efforts…” (Cohen, 7/18).