Ebola vaccines successful in second phase of Liberia testing

The second phase of testing for a pair of Ebola vaccines has met with success in Liberia, researchers said Thursday, hailing the result as a step towards preventing large-scale outbreaks of the deadly virus.
The two trial vaccines - ChAd3-ZEBOV, manufactured by Glaxo SmithKline, and rVSV-ZEBOV, made by Merck/NewwLink - proved safe for 600 participants, said Fatorma Bolay, co-principal investigator of the Partnership for Research on Ebola Vaccines in Liberia.
The trial was the first large-scale test of an experimental Ebola vaccine. Since February 2, 600 doses were tested on Liberian health workers who care for Ebola patients.
The trial will now be expanded to include about 30,000 people throughout the West African nation.
Liberia has been one of the countries hardest hit by the Ebola outbreak, with 9,602 reported cases and 4,301 deaths, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Neighbouring Guinea, where the epidemic broke out in December 2013, began an efficacy trial of an Ebola vaccine this week.
Efficacy trials determine whether a vaccine produces the expected result under ideal circumstances. The trials in Liberia focus first and foremost on vaccine safety and immune response.(QNA) The number of people who have become infected with Ebola in the last 16 months has reached 24,927 worldwide, while 10,338 were killed, according to the WHO.