National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases

Policy Options for Expansion of Pre-Exposure Vaccination 

with rVSVΔG-ZEBOV-GP Ebola Vaccine for Special Pathogen 

Treatment Center and Laboratory Response Network 

Facilities

Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices

November 3, 2021

Caitlin Cossaboom, DVM, PhD, MPH

LCDR, U.S. Public Health Service

Viral Special Pathogens Branch

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Vote 1

Should pre-exposure vaccination with the rVSVΔG-ZEBOV-GP vaccine be 

recommended for healthcare personnel* involved in the care and transport 

of suspect or confirmed Ebola virus disease patients at Special Pathogens 

Treatment Centers

Proposed Text: Pre-exposure vaccination with rVSVΔG-ZEBOV-GP vaccine is 

recommended for healthcare personnel* involved in the care and transport 

of suspect or confirmed Ebola virus disease patients at Special Pathogens 

Treatment Centers
Vote 2

Should pre-exposure vaccination with the rVSVΔG-ZEBOV-GP vaccine be 

recommended for laboratorians and support staff at Laboratory Response 

Network (LRN) facilities that handle specimens that may contain replicationcompetent Ebola virus (species Zaire ebolavirus) in the United States

Proposed Text: Pre-exposure vaccination with rVSVΔG-ZEBOV-GP vaccine is 

recommended for laboratorians and support staff at Laboratory Response 

Network (LRN) facilities that handle specimens that may contain replicationcompetent Ebola virus (species Zaire ebolavirus) in the United States
Healthcare Personnel Definition

1 Healthcare personnel (HCP) refers to all paid and unpaid persons serving in healthcare 

settings who have the potential for direct or indirect exposure to patients or infectious 

materials, including body substances (e.g., blood, tissue, and specific body fluids); 

contaminated medical supplies, devices, and equipment; contaminated environmental 

surfaces; or contaminated air. These HCP include, but are not limited to, emergency 

medical service personnel, nurses, nursing assistants, physicians, technicians, clinical 

laboratory personnel, autopsy personnel, therapists, phlebotomists, pharmacists, 

students and trainees, contractual staff not employed by the healthcare facility, and 

persons not directly involved in patient care, but who could be exposed to infectious 

agents that can be transmitted in the healthcare setting (e.g., clerical, dietary, 

environmental services, laundry, security, engineering and facilities management, 

administrative, billing, and volunteer personnel). 

Adapted from https://www.cdc.gov/infectioncontrol/guidelines/healthcarepersonnel/index.html
Ebola Vaccine ACIP Work Group

ACIP Members

Wilbur Chen (Chair)

Jaime Loehr

Ex Officio Members

Rebecca Reindel (FDA)

Stephanie Polo (FDA)

Brian Schumacher (DOD)

Amanda Zarrabian (BARDA)

Dan Wolfe (BARDA)

Elizabeth Higgs (NIH)

Richard Davey (NIH)

Colin Shepard (ASPR)

CDC Lead

Mary Choi

Liaison Representatives

Alexander Isakov (ACEP)

Alisa Kachikis (ACOG)

Sandra Adamson Fryhofer (AMA)

Christine Hahn (CSTE)

Chris Nyquist (AAP)

Daniel Lucey (IDSA)

David Weber (SHEA)

Mark Plescia (ASTHO)

Consultants

Collen Kraft (Emory University)

Jim LeDuc (UTMB)

Pierre Rollin 

Allison Liddell (Texas Health Dallas)

Armand Sprecher (MSF)

Robert Atmar 

Consultants

Sharon Frey
Grade Consultants/CDC Contributors

GRADE Consultants

Rebecca Morgan

Doug Campos-Outcalt

CDC Contributors

Caitlin Cossaboom

Amy Whitesell

Jason Malenfant

Susan Gorman

Jessica MacNeil

Sarah Mbaeyi

Marissa Person

Brian Harcourt

Terri Hyde

Rita Helfand

Yon Yu

Inger Damon

Susan Gorman

Michael Bell

Shah Roohi

Julianne Gee

Brett Peterson

John Su

Joel Montgomery

Trevor Shoemaker

Julie Villanueva
For more information, contact CDC

1-800-CDC-INFO (232-4636)

TTY: 1-888-232-6348 www.cdc.gov

The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the 

official position of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases

Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology