New Ebola Vaccine Shows Promise

An experimental Ebola vaccine has shown promise in the first clinical tests, a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine shows. The vaccine, known as rVSV, was a collaboration between an international team of researchers, with all 200 test subjects located in the United States.

A single shot of the vaccine was administered to the patients, and immediately, 100 percent of them developed an immune response to Ebola.

The patients were not diagnosed with Ebola, nor were they exposed to it having being administered the vaccination. They were administered the drug, which contained a mixture of viral Ebola Zaire proteins and another harmless virus. They were then administered the drug so researchers could have an idea of how many antibodies would be needed to fight an infection. Some side effects included fatigue, chills, and one claim of arthritis-like muscle pain. There were no serious complications.

Currently, there is no specific vaccine or treatment of the Ebola virus disease, however, a number of patients have made a full recovery after the virus was promptly discovered, and then treated in state-of-the-art medical facilities.

The latest Ebola outbreak began in West Africa nearly one year ago and continues to today, though international efforts have managed to slow the outbreak.

The World Health Organization currently estimates that 25,178 cases have been reported, with an estimated 10,445 deaths.