For the first time, a large-scale human testing of two potential Ebola vaccines has started in Liberia on Monday in the pursuit of finally battling the potentially-deadly virus. They aim to find the perfect vaccine as protection in West African constituents and in an effort to prevent a repeat of the current outbreak that has ravaged several countries including Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone.
According to the latest report from the World Health Organization, there are now 21,689 reported cases of Ebola in the three worst-hit countries wherein a total of 8,626 have died. In the past 21 days, a total of 710 cases were reported. However, if they include all infections from nine countries hit by the virus, it totaled to 21,724 confirmed and probable cases.
The large and major human trial will kick start a more aggressive action of health sectors on the wrath of the deadly virus. Small human trials were done before the larger ones in order to make certain that the vaccines are safe for human use.
They will compare findings and effects of the vaccines on two groups: one receiving the actual vaccine while the other group will receive a placebo vaccine. They will now determine if their months of work will pay off in protecting humans against the deadly virus.
Two pharmaceutical companies, GlaxoSmithKline and New Link/Merck, have provided their own vaccines in order to determine their effectiveness in battling the outbreak that started in the far flung communities in West Africa.
Liberia Deputy Health Minister Tolbert Nyenswah said that he does not expect the vaccines to make a difference in the current outbreak as reported by Reuters. "What will end this outbreak are the measures that we are taking now - the Ebola treatment units, the contact tracing, the engagement in the community and social mobilisation. That is what is getting us to zero."
Around 27,000 volunteers will receive the actual vaccines in Liberia in the hopes that these vaccines can indeed protect them from the Ebola virus. This can serve as a groundbreaking turning point in the efforts to battle the deadly virus which has no known cure.
