Britain’s producing as new vaccine against the hemorrhagic disease that could be more effective if rebels stopped attacking medical facilities.

Britain’s International Development Secretary Rory Stewart’s call to the international community follows an expert meeting he convened drawing on experience from fighting the EBOLA outbreak in Sierra Leone three years ago.

Former foreign secretary David Milliband, who is now chief executive of the International Rescue Committee, says after visiting eastern DRC that the second worst outbreak of EBOLA is terrifyingly spiraling out of control having sickened more than 1700 people and killed more than 1000. 

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Health authorities in the Central Africa giant believe they can stop the haemorrhagic disease from spreading to the Congo’s northern neighbours. 

But they believe they can deal with the worst possible scenario.

The uncertified anti-Ebola vaccine is being administered in northwest DRC.

It’s going to medical workers, those who have been contact with the 46 people infected by Ebola and those who have been in contact with the contacts.

The World Health Organisation  has stopped short of calling the outbreak an international medical emergency.

Congolese authorities are taking extraordinary measures to stop the spread of Ebola starting with basic training in avoiding physical contact with others.

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Peter Piot says he’s encouraged by progress made fighting the deadly haemorrhagic disease and by the promise of new anti-viral therapies.

Peter Piot, who has just returned from Sierra Leone warns that vaccines against Ebola will take time to develop.

Currently Director of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Piot notes the worst Ebola outbreak the world has seen has peaked in Liberia and is likely to peak in Sierra Leone in the next few weeks.

However the epidemic could have a very long and bumpy tail.

He says people are still dying, new cases are being detected.

The international medical community needs to be ready for a long, sustained effort probably for the rest of 2015.

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There’s growing anger in the infected West African countries that more is not being done to help them six months after the world’s worst outbreak of the deadly haemorrhagic disease.

It will be year’s end before the vaccine is ready to protect at risk populations.

There are practical and ethical questions about how the untested drug may be used.

All the while the virus is catching faster.

There have been at least 400 deaths this week.

Health systems in the infected countries, that are increasing in number, cannot cope. More than 120 care workers are among the dead.

Neither can medical charities like Medicines Sans Frontiers who say they are reduced to handling centres where the infected simply come to die.

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