UNICEF, WHO, IFRC and MSF announce the establishment of a global Ebola vaccine stockpile

On 12 January 2021, four international health and humanitarian organizations announced the establishment of a global Ebola vaccine stockpile to help ensure outbreak response. The effort to establish the stockpile was led by the International Coordinating Group (ICG) on Vaccine Provision, which includes the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), with financial support from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. The stockpile will allow countries, with the assistance of humanitarian organizations, to help contain future Ebola epidemics by ensuring timely access to vaccines for populations at risk during outbreaks.

UNICEF manages the stockpile on behalf of the ICG which, as with stockpiles of cholera, meningitis and yellow fever vaccines, will be the decision-making body for its allocation and release. The stockpile is stored in Switzerland, ready to be shipped to countries for emergency response. The decision to allocate the vaccine will be made within 48 hours of receiving a request from a country, and vaccines will be made available together with ultra-cold chain packaging by the manufacturer for shipment to countries within 48 hours of the decision. The targeted overall delivery time from the stockpile to countries is seven days.

Source: WHO, 12 January 2021