By Chantelle Muzanenhamo
Uganda’s Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) and various partners, launched a vaccine trial for Ebola caused by the Sudan virus yesterday.
This marks a essential milestone in pandemic preparedness and response, as the trial was organized in just four days following the confirmation of an Ebola outbreak in Uganda on January 30.
The randomized vaccine trial is being conducted by principal investigators from Makerere University and the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI), with support from WHO and other organizations.
This trial aims to assess the clinical efficacy of a new recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus (rVSV) candidate vaccine.
The candidate vaccine was donated by the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) and received financial backing from WHO, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC), the European Commission’s Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA), and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).
Currently, there are no licensed vaccines available for the Sudan species of Ebola, though treatments exist for other strains.
If successful, this trial will not only address the ongoing outbreak but also provide critical data for future vaccine licensing.