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Breakthrough? - New Ebola vaccine successfully tested
The Ebola epidemic in West Africa has cost more than 10,000 lives since the end of 2014. Since there is neither a cure nor an approved vaccine against the infectious disease, so far only the typical Ebola symptoms could be treated in the patients. But now new hope germinates. One vaccine showed almost 100% protection in one study.
Clinical tests of a vaccine were successful
In March, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that the number of Ebola deaths had risen to over 10,000. The dangerous plague has been raging in several countries in West Africa since the end of 2014. A cure or effective vaccine did not exist so far. Doctors treated in infected only the typical Ebola symptoms such as fever, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting and internal and external hemorrhage. But now the first clinical trials of a vaccine against the deadly infectious disease were successful. As the researchers in the journal "The Lancet" report, the vaccine rVSV-ZEBOV vaccinated in Guinea protected almost 100 percent from the disease. Just a few days after the vaccination, there were no new cases among the potentially infected more.
Image: psdesign1 - fotolia Experiences from the 1970s
The study was developed by an international team of scientists led by the WHO. The physician Matthias Egger from the University of Bern, who was involved in the study, told the "Neue Zürcher Zeitung" (NZZ) that they had taken advantage of experiences from the 1970s. "In a vaccination campaign against smallpox one then identified the contact persons to a patient in the family and in the immediate vicinity and defined a ring. These people were vaccinated. The disease could be eradicated. As with smallpox, infection with Ebola is via direct contact with the patients. That gave us the idea of testing the Ebola vaccine in such rings in Guinea, "says the expert.
No new illnesses after vaccination
As Egger explained, the vaccine is based on the causative agent of an infectious disease in ungulates, the so-called Vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV). The scientists changed the genetic information of the virus, which multiplies after an injection in the body for several days and relatively quickly produces an immune response. "In Guinea, after a week, people who were vaccinated immediately did not experience any new Ebola disease. For those who were later vaccinated, it came to other infections and diseases, until even with them, the vaccine protection set, "Egger said the NZZ.
Effectiveness must be confirmed in the coming months
As the physician explained, the results were reviewed by a committee of experts and decided that the study should be continued. "The results so far are so convincing," says Egger. He explained that as soon as a new case occurs there, all people who had contact with the patient and his family will be vaccinated. "So far, we only vaccinated people over the age of 18, now also teenagers. We do not vaccinate children and pregnant women because we do not know yet if the vaccine is safe. "As he further explained, the effectiveness of the vaccine has yet to be confirmed in the coming months. Ebola is not yet defeated. However, Marie-Paule Kieny of the WHO said at a press conference that they believe they are about to "finally have an effective vaccine against Ebola." (Ad)