GAVI to invest USD 178 million for creating Ebola vaccine stockpile

Since the latest outbreak in Congo was identified last August, health officials have immunised more than 255, 000 people with a recently licensed vaccine made by Merck.

New Delhi: The vaccine alliance GAVI announced it would invest USD 178 million to create a global stockpile of about 500,000 Ebola vaccines, move health officials say could help prevent future outbreaks from spiralling out of control. GAVI is a public-private partnership that includes the World Health Organisation, UNICEF, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the World Bank, among others.

The funding announcement was made Thursday after a meeting of GAVI's board in New Delhi.

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Since the latest outbreak in Congo was identified last August, health officials have immunised more than 255, 000 people with a recently licensed vaccine made by Merck.

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, chair of Gavi's board, called the creation of the Ebola vaccine stockpiles a "historic milestone in humanity's fight against this horrific disease".

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