Have scientists developed the first ever vaccine to fight against Ebola? A report from the World Health Organization (WHO) says that experts have developed a vaccine to protect individuals against the potentially deadly Ebola virus as much as 100 percent. The results of the trial were published in the journal The Lancet.
WHO announced on Friday that one of the candidate vaccines from many pharmaceutical companies have exceeded their expectations as they found out that it can potentially protect patients from the Ebola virus that has caused sickness and death among people across Africa in 2014, News 24 reports.
In the end of 2013, the yet unknown disease has started killing its victims in the far flung communities in West Africa. When the outbreak reached its peak, three countries namely Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone were the most devastated with thousands of people being infected and dying.
The characteristic that is unique to the said vaccine is 'herd immunity' wherein the vaccination of a significant portion of a population would give a measure of protection for others who have not developed the said immunity.
The said vaccine was tested in people in Guinea and was based on animal virus that affects rats, swine and horses. However, a part of the virus was replaced by a gene from the Ebola virus. According to Dr. Margaret Chan, WHO director general, the development of the vaccine was promising and she credited the participation of the Guinea government as well as the citizens who participated in the test, reports Scientific American.
John-Arne Røttingen, director of the division of Infectious Disease Control at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health and chair of the study steering group, said, "The premise is that by vaccinating all people who have come into contact with an infected person, you create a protective 'ring' and stop the virus from spreading further."
Even though the vaccine received praises from health sectors, they are still aiming for a larger sample for trials since the sample size is deemed too small to immediately conclude its benefits and effects.
