UN agencies, partners establish global Ebola vaccine stockpile

UN agencies, partners establish global Ebola vaccine stockpile

GENEVA — In a major milestone in the fight against deadly diseases, United Nations agencies and humanitarian partners announced on Tuesday, the establishment of a global Ebola vaccine stockpile, to help control future epidemics by ensuring timely access to vaccines for populations at risk, during outbreaks.Ebola virus disease is a severe and often fatal illness, with fatality rates varying from 25 per cent to 90 per cent. Thousands of people have lost their lives to the disease, since the virus was first discovered in 1976.Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the UN World Health Organization (WHO), underscored the importance of the vaccines to save lives from deadly viruses.“Ebola vaccines have made one of the most feared diseases on earth preventable. This new stockpile is an excellent example of solidarity, science and cooperation between international organizations and the private sector to save lives.”The International Coordinating Group on Vaccine Provision (ICG), which includes WHO, UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), led