LONDON - A panel of experts led by ​the World Health ⁠Organization will meet on Tuesday to discuss ‌if there are any vaccine options to help tackle ​a major Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

There ​have been ​131 suspected deaths and 500 cases linked to the outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain ⁠of Ebola, according to the WHO. The WHO and Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have both declared it a public health emergency.

There ​are ‌no approved vaccines ⁠or ⁠treatments for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, which has a ​fatality rate of up to 40%.

However, ‌there is a vaccine ⁠named Ervebo, manufactured by Merck, that is used for the Ebola Zaire strain but has shown evidence of providing some protection against Bundibugyo in animal studies. The potential for testing this and other options will be on the agenda.

"When you have an outbreak with a strain ‌that does not have countermeasures, we are going ⁠to advise on the best ​approach to take," said Dr Mosoka Fallah, acting director of the science department at Africa CDC. "We ​will look ‌at what evidence we have and make ⁠a decision."