Ebola Vaccine

Started by jeff101

jeff101 Lv 1

Successful Ebola vaccine provides 100% protection in trial.
Study also demonstrates ability to develop a vaccine quickly during an outbreak.
http://www.nature.com/news/successful-ebola-vaccine-provides-100-protection-in-trial-1.18107

Below is an excerpt from the above article:

“From a public health point of view, this is a really, really exciting finding,” says Seth Berkley, chief executive of Gavi, the vaccine alliance in Geneva, Switzerland, which funds vaccine access in low-income countries. His organization previously announced that it would pay for production and roll-out of an Ebola vaccine during the current outbreak, should one become available.

He notes that rVSV-ZEBOV is a 'first-generation' vaccine that is not ideal for stockpiling: it must be stored at –80° C and it protects against a limited number of species of the Ebola virus. He says that Gavi will work with researchers and industry to support the development of second-generation Ebola vaccines that target other Ebola virus species, as well as the closely related Marburg virus, and which do not require storage in expensive, laboratory-grade freezers.

In the meantime, however, he says, Gavi will consider buying one of the current first-generation vaccines.

Nature http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature.2015.18107

Bruno Kestemont Lv 1

"14 January 2016 Liberia - Today, WHO declares the end of the most recent outbreak of Ebola virus disease in Liberia and says all known chains of transmission have been stopped in West Africa"

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"The Ebola epidemic claimed the lives of more than 11 300 people and infected over 28 500. The disease wrought devastation to families, communities and the health and economic systems of all 3 countries."

"There have been more cases and deaths in this outbreak than all others combined."

"Community engagement is key to successfully controlling outbreaks"

"There are currently [Aug 2015] no licensed Ebola vaccines but 2 potential candidates are undergoing evaluation." "There is as yet no licensed treatment proven to neutralise the virus but a range of blood, immunological and drug therapies are under development."