The EBODAC project (Ebola Vaccine Deployment, Acceptance and Compliance) was set up to develop strategies and tools to encourage the acceptance and uptake of new Ebola vaccines, used in the context of clinical trials or following regulatory approval. The project supported clinical trials of the two-dose Ebola regimen in Sierra Leone, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda, as well as the vaccination campaign in Rwanda. The project also helped prepare for the future deployment of a licenced vaccine through a series of projects focusing on communications, community engagement and enabling technologies. 

Supporting Ebola vaccine trials in Sierra Leone

EBODAC communications and engagement strategies and tools were used to support Ebola vaccine trials, while building capacity in Sierra Leone to use these resources in the future. The project aimed to address key challenges in the successful development and deployment of an Ebola vaccine, especially in resource limited settings, and focused on:

• Developing and implementing a Community Engagement Strategy to build awareness and trust, as well as mechanisms to rapidly respond to any concerns or rumours related to the vaccine trials.
• Developing and implementing identification tools to ensure the right volunteer receives the right dose of vaccine at the right time.
• Implementing mobile phone technology to ensure widespread and timely reach in rural settings and that clinical trial participants remained engaged throughout the study and attended clinic visits.

Preparing for the deployment of a licensed vaccine

EBODAC delivered a series of projects to build local knowledge and capacity and strengthen health systems. This included piloting a mobile training and support service to deliver training to Community Health Workers in remote areas to increase their preparedness to support future Ebola vaccination campaigns and respond to outbreaks.

Key learnings from the projects can be used to guide current and future vaccination programmes, particularly when considering setting up clinical trials in an outbreak setting.

The tools and resources developed through the EBODAC project can also be used or repurposed to assist in vaccine deployment. Among tools developed was the Mobile Technology for Community Health (MOTECH) platform that was used to send automated, participant-specific audio message reminders for clinic visits in local languages. The platform has been used in subsequent vaccination campaigns, including during Ebola vaccine studies in Rwanda, the DRC and Uganda.

An evidence-based Gap Analysis Tool was also developed to enable governments to assess their own readiness, from a demand-side perspective, to deploy a licensed Ebola vaccine.

Sharing expertise

The EBODAC consortium is committed to sharing the expertise and lessons learned from using community engagement, communication and technology while conducting clinical trials related to Ebola in an outbreak setting.

In February 2017, EBODAC organised a symposium on this theme in Dakar, Senegal, which brought together experts from across Africa and beyond. The learnings from the symposium contributed to a symposium report and a training resource, which is now available as an open-access tool for anybody who is interested in community engagement, communications and enabling technologies for clinical trials in outbreak settings.

Learn More

Learn more about EBODAC with our short Introduction to EBODAC animation.