Ebola Vaccine Declared Safe For Use In Africa

By Gamal Fahnbulleh, Sky Reporter | Sky News – Tue, Dec 23, 2014
A trial for an experimental Ebola vaccine has been found to be safe for use specifically in Africa.
Two experimental DNA vaccines to prevent Ebola and the closely related Marbug virus were trialled.
With more than 7,000 deaths caused by Ebola in West Africa scientists are working tirelessly to fight the outbreak which is now in its 12th month.
The lead author, Dr Julie Ledgerwood from the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) said: "This is the first study to show comparable safety and protection of an experimental Ebola vaccine in an African population.
"This is particularly encouraging because those at greatest risk of Ebola live primarily in Africa, and diminished vaccine protection in African populations has been seen for other diseases."
Scientists from the NIAID developed the DNA vaccines that code for Ebola virus proteins from the Zaire and Sudan strains, and the Marburg virus protein.
The vaccines contain the construction plans for the proteins on the outer surface of the virus. Immune responses against these proteins have shown to be highly protective in non-human primate models.
In this phase one trial, the Makerere University Walter Reed Program enrolled 108 healthy Ugandan adults aged between 18 and 50 between November 2009 and April 2010.
Each volunteer was randomly assigned to receive an intramuscular injection of either the Ebola vaccine, Marburg vaccine, both vaccines, or a placebo at the start of the study, and again four weeks and eight weeks later.
The vaccines given separately and together were safe and stimulated an immune response in the form of neutralising antibodies and t-cells against the virus proteins.
Four weeks after the third injection, 57% (17 out of 30) of the volunteers had an antibody response to the Ebola Zaire protein as did 14 out of 30 participants who received both the Ebola and Marburg vaccines.
However, the antibodies were not long-lasting and returned to undetectable levels within 11 months of vaccination.
Both DNA vaccines were well tolerated in Ugandan adults with similar numbers of local and systemic reactions reported in all groups.
Only one serious adverse event was reported in a Marburg vaccine-only recipient, but was not thought to be vaccine related.
The latest findings have already formed the basis of a more potent vaccine now undergoing trials. It is a significant step in the fight against the disease.
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