New Ebola Vaccine Deemed ‘Highly Effective,’ Says WHO

New Ebola Vaccine Deemed 'Highly Effective,' Says WHO

A new vaccine against the deadly

WHO: Interim analysis shows VSV-EBOV, an #Ebola vaccine is highly effective, could help end outbreak in W. Africa http://pic.twitter.com/NplxpzB2Xs

— CCTVNEWS (@cctvnews) July 31, 2015

“>Ebola virus has been deemed “highly effective” by the World Health Organization and could help curb the spread of current and future outbreaks of the much-feared disease.

According to a WHO news release, trials of the VSV-EBOV vaccine show such promise that this week it was decided to begin vaccination for “all people at risk.” The trials began in Guinea in March in an area hard-hit last year by the Ebola virus.

Dr. Margaret Chan, WHO’s director general, said the Ebola vaccine is “an extremely promising development.”

“The credit goes to the Guinean Government, the people living in the communities and our partners in this project. An effective vaccine will be another very important tool for both current and future Ebola outbreaks.”

According to Reuters, Officials say the trial reveal that the vaccine shows a 100 percent efficacy.

It will take some time to replenish supplies, said Chan, but this is a huge breakthrough in the fight against the highly deadly disease.

According to CNN, researchers previously used a “ring” strategy to trial the Ebola vaccine’s effectiveness, much like the strategy used to eradicate smallpox.

John-Arne Rottingen of the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, which has been involved in implementing the trial, explained the process.

“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.”

The news release noted that to date, more than 4,000 close contacts of almost 100 Ebola patients, including family members, neighbors and co-workers, have voluntarily participated in the trial.

“The trial stopped randomisation on 26 July to allow for all people at risk to receive the vaccine immediately, and to minimize the time necessary to gather more conclusive evidence needed for eventual licensure of the product.”

The VSV-EBOV vaccine, developed by the Public Health Agency of Canada and licensed to Merck and NewLink, is being implemented in the Guinea trial by the Guinean authorities, the WHO, MSF and the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, with support from a range of international and national organizations.

Ebola is spread through contact with infected body fluids and has killed more than 10,000 people in the three worst-affected countries — Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia — since the 2014 Ebola outbreak erupted last year.

[Photo by John Moore/Getty Images]

New Ebola Vaccine Deemed ‘Highly Effective,’ Says WHO is an article from: The Inquisitr News

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