Human trials testing the safety of an Ebola virus vaccine were recently begun by researchers from the Vaccine Research Centre (VRC) at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).
Ebola virus is highly infectious with a fatality rate of up to 90%. Although initially rare, the frequency of Ebola virus epidemics has increased in recent years. According to a recent report from the World Health Organization, an ongoing Ebola-virus outbreak in the Congo has so far killed 18 people and this, as Gary Nabel (VRC Director) said, “provides a stark reminder of the need to rapidly develop vaccines against such perilous infections” (Reuters). The deadly characteristics of Ebola virus have also led US experts to suggest that it could be used as a biological weapon. So, as Anthony Fauci (NIAID Director) said, “an effective Ebola vaccine not only would provide a life-saving advance in countries where the disease occurs naturally, it would also provide a medical tool to discourage the use of Ebola virus as an agent of bioterrorism” (BBC).
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