New Vaccine Ready to Eradicate Ebola Virus
The world will finally say goodbye to Ebola as new experimental vaccine is proven to provide 100% protection against the lethal disease.
The new vaccines have not yet been approved by any regulatory authority, but medical experts say it is considered to be effective. In fact, 300,000 vaccine doses will be available in case of a new Ebola flareup.
This scientific triumph was confirmed by Marie-Paule Kieny, the World Health Organization‘s assistant director-general for health systems and innovation and the study’s lead author, who said, “While these compelling results come too late for those who lost their lives during West Africa’s Ebola epidemic, they show that when the next outbreak hits, we will not be defenseless.”
The medical world began to create an effective vaccine when the deadly disease claimed 11,000 lives in Africa. The 2014 outbreak triggered people in Europe and the United States to reach out and provided the political and economic drive to make an effective vaccine.
The Ebola Trial
The Ebola trial was headed by the World Health Organization, Norway’s Institute of Public Health, the Guinean Health Ministry and other institutions. The vaccine, known as rVSV-ZEBOV, was developed in Canada but is now owned and manufactured by Merck, Sharp & Dohme. Reports say, the vaccine is being fast-tracked by US and European regulatory agencies.
The study was done with the help of 11,841 residents of Guinea last year. Among the 5,837 people who got the vaccine, none came down with Ebola 10 or more days later. There were 23 Ebola cases among the thousands of others not immediately vaccinated.
Know The Vaccine
The vaccine was proven effective and offers 100% protection. Aside from that, the vaccine opens up new, faster, more efficient ways to encircle and strangle the virus.
But the new vaccine has some flaws too. Experts say it works only against one of the two most common strains of the Ebola virus. And the downside? it may not give long-lasting protection. In addition, some of those who get it report side effects like fatigue, muscle pain and headaches.
However, one medical expert said the effort to create powerful and more potent vaccines will continue.
Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said, “It’s certainly good news with regard to any new outbreak – and one will occur somewhere. But we still need to continue working on Ebola vaccines.”
