A vaccine against the deadly Ebola
virus has led to 100 per cent
protection and could transform the
way Ebola is tackled, preliminary
results suggest.
BBC reported that there were no
proven drugs or vaccines against
the virus at the start of the largest
outbreak of Ebola in history, which
began in Guinea in December
2013.
The World Health Organisation
(WHO) said the findings, being
published in the Lancet, could be a
“game-changer.”
Experts said the results were
“remarkable.”
This trial centred on the VSV-EBOV
vaccine, which was started by the
Public Health Agency of Canada
and then developed by the
pharmaceutical company Merck.
It combined a fragment of the
Ebola virus with another safer
virus in order to train the immune
system to beat Ebola.
A unique clinical trial took place in
Guinea. When a patient was
discovered, their friends,
neighbours and family were
vaccinated to create a “protective
ring” of immunity.
This could be the breakthrough the
world has been waiting for. There
is caution as the results are still
preliminary, with more data
coming in.
But officials at the WHO believe
the effectiveness of the vaccine will
end up being between 75 per cent
and 100 per cent.
If such a vaccine was available 18
months ago then thousands of
lives could have been saved.
There are still other vaccines being
trialed – notably from GSK and
Johnson & Johnson – although as
the number of cases continues to
fall, it is becoming increasingly
difficult to prove how effective they
are. Ebola will inevitably come
again.
The hope now is that the legacy of
this unprecedented outbreak will be
a vaccine that means a tragedy of
this scale can never be repeated.
One hundred patients were
identified in the trial between April
and July and then close contacts
were either vaccinated
immediately, or three weeks later.
In the 2,014 close contacts who
were vaccinated immediately there
were no subsequent cases of
Ebola.
In those vaccinated later there
were 16 cases, according to the
results published in the Lancet
medical journal.
The WHO says it is so far 100 per
cent effective, although that figure
may change as more data is
collected.
Close contacts of Ebola patients in
Guinea will now be vaccinated
immediately. And since the vaccine
has been shown to be safe, that
process will also be extended to
include children.
Médecins sans Frontières (MSF) is
involved with this research, and is
part of a parallel trial for frontline
healthcare workers. Medical
director, Bertrand Draguez said the
Lancet results should spur instant
action.
Marie-Paule Kieny, an assistant
director general at the WHO told
BBC News: “It is certainly
promising. We have seen that
where rings have been vaccinated,
the transmission has stopped.
“Prior to vaccination there were
cases, cases, cases. The vaccine
arrives and 10 days later the cases
are flat. It could be a game-
changer because previously there
was nothing, despite the disease
being identified 40 years ago.”
Prof. John Edmunds, from the
London School of Hygiene and
Tropical Medicine, helped design
the trial: “The development has
been at an absolutely
unprecedented speed.
“This is very good news, these are
very significant results, the
epidemic is not over and this
shows we have another potential
weapon.”
Dr. Jeremy Farrar, the director of
the Wellcome Trust medical
charity, said this was a
“remarkable result” and was the
product of international
collaboration.
He added: “Our hope is that this
vaccine will now help bring this
epidemic to an end and be
available for the inevitable future
Ebola

Source: http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/2015/08/ebola-vaccine-is-potential-game-changer/

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