Ammon News - A panel of experts led by the World Health Organization will ​meet on Tuesday to discuss if there ‌are any vaccine options to help tackle a major Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

There have been ​131 suspected deaths and 500 cases linked ​to the outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain ⁠of Ebola, according to the WHO. The WHO ​and Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ​have both declared it a public health emergency.

There are no approved vaccines or treatments for the Bundibugyo strain of ​Ebola, which has a fatality rate of up ​to 40%.

However, there is a vaccine named Ervebo, manufactured by ‌Merck (MRK.N), opens new tab, ⁠that is used for the Ebola Zaire strain but has shown evidence of providing some protection against Bundibugyo in animal studies. The potential ​for testing this ​and other ⁠options will be on the agenda.

"When you have an outbreak with ​a strain that does not have countermeasures, ​we ⁠are going to advise on the best approach to take," said Dr Mosoka Fallah, acting director ⁠of ​the science department at Africa ​CDC. "We will look at what evidence we have and make a ​decision."

Reuters