Not everyone who contracts the Ebola virus dies, the survival rate is around 30% suggesting that some kind of immunity to the disease is possible. Experimental treatments and vaccines against Ebola exist but have not yet been tested in large groups for safety and efficacy (phase 2 trials).
The International Union of Immunology Societies (IUIS) published a statement today in its official journal, Frontiers in Immunology calling for urgent and adequate funding of vaccine candidates in clinical trials and speedy implementation of immunisation in African countries.
Not everyone who contracts the Ebola virus dies, the survival rate is around 30% suggesting that some kind of immunity to the disease is possible. Experimental treatments and vaccines against Ebola exist but have not yet been tested in large groups for safety and efficacy (phase 2 trials).
The International Union of Immunology Societies (IUIS) published a statement today in its official journal, Frontiers in Immunology calling for urgent and adequate funding of vaccine candidates in clinical trials and speedy implementation of immunisation in African countries.
"The current Ebola outbreak, is an unprecedented disaster for humans. This virus cunningly hijacks the human immune system with devastating effects. Without blocking transmission, Ebola may become endemic," says Prof Clive Gray, author of the paper and member of the Clinical Immunology Committee of the IUIS, from the Institute of Infectious Diseases and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town, South Africa. "Efforts are being made on health communication in order to prevent the spread of this virus from person to person. This is essential but not enough. Stakeholders need to work together to accelerate the roll out of vaccines and therapies," Gray stated.
According to the IUIS paper, vaccination will be a vital additional strategy. Authors explain that although no licensed vaccines exist on the market, "significant progress" has been made in recent years and especially in the last few months. Among the promising vaccines being tried today, the paper mentions the Cad3 Ebola vaccine developed using chimpanzee adenovirus. This vaccine was found to protect animals with a single dose and is currently undergoing phase 1 trials (where researchers test the vaccine candidate in a small group of people to evaluate safety, determine safe dosage and identify side effects). Another promising vaccine candidate is rVSV-ΔG-ZEBOV that has proven safe and efficient in non-human primates with no major toxicities. Phase 1 trials for this vaccine started in October.
Vaccine image via Shutterstock.
Read more at EurekAlert.
