A batch of experimental rVSV Ebola vaccine developed at the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg, Canada. It has already been administered to a health worker at the Kilifi County Hospital. PHOTO | FILE
What you need to know:
Similar trials are already taking place in the US, Germany, Switzerland and Gabon.
Health workers participating in the trials will each be given a single dose of the vaccine and monitored closely for months.
The experimental VSV Ebola vaccine was developed by scientists at the Canadian National Microbiology Laboratory and has been cleared for clinical trials by the World Health Organization.
Researchers at Kilifi based KEMRI Wellcome Trust have begun human trials of a new Ebola vaccine in Kenya. The vaccine – dubbed VSV Ebola - has already been administered to a health worker at the Kilifi County Hospital.
A statement released by the research institution Thursday evening noted that the Ebola vaccine was now in the first phase of trials. “The next step will be to test the vaccine further in the countries affected by the Ebola outbreak,” it stated.
Similar trials are already taking place in the US, Germany, Switzerland and Gabon. “They will test the vaccine’s safety and its ability to generate an immune system response,” noted the research institution.
Health workers participating in the trials will each be given a single dose of the vaccine and monitored closely for months.
“Early trial results will be provided in February 2015,” the research institution stated. KEMRI said that the trials are targeting health workers due to their first line contact with Ebola patients.
“Health workers are easier to sensitise due to their knowledge of how vaccines work. However, further sensitisation of participants by the trial investigators has been carried out to educate them on any potential risks.”
Although there are no cases of Ebola reported in Kenya, the statement from KEMRI noted that demonstrating the vaccine was safe and that it offered immunity against Ebola in the Kenyan population would facilitate its use in the country whenever necessary.
The experimental VSV Ebola vaccine was developed by scientists at the Canadian National Microbiology Laboratory and has been cleared for clinical trials by the World Health Organization (WHO). This is among several international commitments to fast-track early tests of candidate Ebola vaccines so that they can be deployed widely in 2015 if found effective in the fight against the deadly disease.
Estimates from WHO show that the current epidemic sweeping across the region has killed more than all other known Ebola outbreaks combined. Currently, it has claimed the lives of close to 7000 people in six countries: Liberia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, US and Mali. The total number of reported cases is more than 18,000.
Yet, WHO admits that the figures are underestimates given the difficulty in collecting data.
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