Human tests of Ebola vaccines 'about to begin' in affected countries

Geneva - Human tests of two possible Ebola vaccines
have proven safe and efficacy tests will begin within
weeks in the three west African countries ravaged by the
deadly virus, the World Health Organization said Friday.
"These trials are about to begin for the two lead
vaccines," WHO assistant director general Marie-Paule
Kieny told reporters, adding that the vaccines would be
tested on thousands of people across Guinea, Liberia
and Sierra Leone.
The Phase III testing to ensure the vaccines actually
protect against the virus that has killed 8,259 people in
the three countries is set to begin in Liberia by the end
of the month, she said.
Separate tests are scheduled to start in Sierra Leone and
Guinea in February, she added.
The vaccine manufacturers must determine before then
what the appropriate dosage is, she said.
There is no licensed treatment or vaccine for Ebola, and
the WHO has endorsed rushing potential ones through
trials in a bid to stem the epidemic.
The two potential vaccines that have been undergoing
Phase 1 safety tests on humans are ChAd3, made by
Britain's GlaxoSmithKline, and VSV-ZEBOV,
manufactured by the Public Health Agency of Canada
and licenced by US firm NewLink Genetics.
Tests of the two potential vaccines have been
conducted on volunteers in a range of countries,
including Switzerland, Mali, Gabon, Britain, Germany,
Canada and the United States.
Johnson & Johnson meanwhile announced this week
that human trials of its proposed vaccine had begun in
Britain, and Kieny said the company also expected to
soon be able to start efficacy trials.
Describing 2014 as the year when "the Ebola virus
challenged humanity," Kieny voiced confidence that this
year would be remembered as the one when "humanity
used our best scientific minds to fight back."
Courtesy: news24
Broadcast by Obele Calistus