The first major trial of two experimental Ebola vaccines has begun in Liberia.
The clinical trial, which began Monday, is led by a newly formed Liberia-U.S. clinical reserach partnership and sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
More than 8,500 people have died in the current Ebola outbreak, mostly in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone, according to the World Health Organization. The epidemic is now in a “second phase,” with the focus shifted toward ending the epidemic.
The scientists hope to use the vaccine on roughly 27,000 healthy volunteers, including healthcare workers and those at high risk of infection.
“The scale of the current Ebola outbreak in West Africa is unprecedented, and specific medical countermeasures are needed for this and future outbreaks,” NIAID Director Anthony Fauci said in a statement. “It is imperative that any potential countermeasures, including vaccines, be tested in a manner that conforms to the highest ethical and safety standards in clinical trials designed to provide a clear answer to the question of whether a candidate vaccine is safe and can prevent infection. This trial is designed to provide such answers.”
The first man to receive the vaccine was a Liberian man in the capital of Monrovia, according to the BBC.
The study is expected to last about a year.
