Ebola Vaccine Proves 100 Percent Effective in Trial

Development in Ebola Vaccine - 100% Effective

Development in Ebola vaccine has proved to be 100% effective in a trial which took place in Guinea and been named a `game changer’ by the World Health Organisation – WHO. Initially the results of the trial of the VSC-EBOV vaccine, created by the Public Health Agency of Canada and which had been developed by pharmaceutical company – Merck, were published in `The Lancet’.

 Director General of – WHO, Margaret Chan, had stated that ` this was an extremely promising development and 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’.

The results so far has revealed that the said vaccine is effective 100 percent, however the trial is set to continue to attempt and establish conclusive evidence which could be utilised to protect the whole population through `herd immunity’.The trial had begun on March 23, 2015 with more than 4,000 close contacts of about 100 patients suffering from Ebola who had volunteered to get vaccinated.

Immediate Deployment of Vaccination – Helpful

The trial had been implemented with the use of the same `ring; method which had been used in eliminating smallpox and had been issued to each person who had come in contact with the infected person. It thus created a protective ring around them that prevented the virus from spreading around.

During the trial, around 50% of the rings were vaccinated instantly on identification of an infected person and 50% of the rings were vaccinated three weeks thereafter. This was done to enable the researchers to compare the results. In the group which had been vaccinated instantly, there was not a single one who went on to develop Ebola while those who had received the delayed vaccination, had only 16 who went on to develop Ebola.

 Immediate vaccination being proven to be completely effective, randomization has now ended. All individuals who were at risk of being affected of Ebola have been vaccinated immediately, since July 26. Besides immediate deployment of the vaccine in helping to terminate the epidemic, it will also minimise the time needed in collecting more conclusive evidence which will ultimately be essential to license the product.

Proven Effect of VSV-EBOV

One of the many organisations which have been implementing the trial, Medicins san Frontieres, has also been vaccinating all of its frontline workers. The medical director of the company, Bertrand Draguez has stated that with high efficacy, all the affected countries should immediately start and multiply ring vaccinations to break chains of transmission and vaccinate all frontline workers in order to protect them.

Around 28,000 people had been infected since the outbreak of Ebola epidemic in West Africa, in December 2013 where around 11,300 people had died of the ailment. Though the outbreak continues in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, the proven effectiveness of the VSV-EBOV vaccine has now provided hope that the spread of the dreadful disease would be arrested.

Guinea’s national coordinator for the Ebola had replied that this is Guinea’s gift to West Africa and the world. The thousands of volunteers from Conakry and other areas of Lower Guinea as well as the many Guinean doctors, data managers and community mobilisers have made their contribution in finding a line of defence against a terrible disease – EBOLA