The final results of a certain clinical trial have recently suggested that the vaccine for Ebola has just been discovered. The vaccine, which was developed by Merck has been found to be the first one to show a highly effective result in preventing human infection with Ebola. Thus, health authorities say that perhaps before the end of the year, the world is set to have a wonderful Christmas gift that holds out hope for better things to come and innovations in terms of health.
The Cure For Ebola, Finally Discovered?
The vaccine, dubbed as rVSV-EBOV was considered to be the most effective to date. Among 5,837 people who received the said vaccine in the trial in Guinea in 2015, experts say that no Ebola cases were recorded 10 days or more after vaccination, which apparently signals a 100 percent protection. In one of her their statements reported by Daily Mail, World Health Organization (WHO) assistant director-general Marie-Paule Kieny, who also happens to be one of the lead researchers in the trial has claimed that if by any chance the next Ebola outbreak hits, we will not be defenseless anymore. It was found that Merck's rVSV-EBOV has already been previously used in Sierra Leone in order to contain a flare-up there.
As per Forbes, the clinical trial has allegedly involved 11,841 people who were exposed to Ebola during the last days of the West African Ebola outbreak that claimed over 11,000 lives from 2014 to 2016. Accordingly, it was found that almost half of the people who received the vaccine reported mild adverse effects, such as headache, muscle pain and fatigue, which has been reportedly cleared up after a few days; while two more people had been reported to have experienced more serious but non-fatal reactions.
Experts have further revealed that the Guinea trial took place in the coastal region of Basse-Guinée, which was still seeing new Ebola cases at the beginning of the said experiment which took place in 2015. Ultimately, it was found that GAVI, which is the global vaccine alliance, has allegedly provided $5 million earlier this year in buying 300,000 doses of rVSV-EBOV as a stockpile for future Ebola outbreaks.
