Ebola virus clinical trials underway

The Centre Pasteur, Yaounde and Bamenda Regional Hospital, are handling efforts to develop a vaccine against the dreaded killer disease.

Though Cameroon is yet to experience any case of the dreaded killer disease, Ebola, government is not taking things for granted. Thus, two clinical trials for the possible development of a vaccine against the Ebola Virus have begun in the country.

The Centre Pasteur, Yaounde and the Bamenda Regional Hospital, are hosting the trials that will last from October 2015 to October 2016. The Minister of Public Health, André Mama Fouda, made the disclosure in Yaounde on Friday, October 30, 2015 at a press conference.

Why Clinical Trials Now?

He said the most recent Ebola Virus epidemic killed 11,296 people, affecting six countries in West Africa between December 2013 and 2015. As a result, the World Health Organisation, WHO, decided to take action by appealing to pharmaceutical firms to develop vaccines against Ebola.

Involvement Of GlaxoSmithKline, Volunteers

GlaxoSmithKline, GSK, pharmaceutical firm, in collaboration with the National Health Institute of America, embarked on some trials. The second phase of the research involves countries sharing borders with those that were affected by the recent epidemic in West Africa. Thus, Cameroon, Mali, Senegal, Ghana and Nigeria were solicited for the research that will involve 3,000 volunteers. Concerning Cameroon, each research site will involve 200 volunteers in good health, giving a total of 400. Those recruited for the trials voluntarily opted to participate. They are from neighbourhoods, health training institutions, markets, universities, etc.

Care Of Trial Volunteers

The volunteers will receive free, detailed clinical and biological tests in the first place, to be followed by close medical follow-up throughout the period of the trials. GlaxoSmithKline is providing them insurance cover. According to Minister Mama Fouda, this phase of the trials is already underway. It is aimed at collecting viable data on the safety of the use and level of immunity provided by the would-be vaccine. This is after a dose of the experimental vaccine was injected into each of the volunteers using the intramuscular mode.

Assurances About Vaccine Safety

Sources say the experimental vaccine was obtained from the Type 3 chimpanzee. The Minister of Public Health assured that the experimental vaccine does not contain any virus capable of reproducing in the human body; thus it cannot lead to any infection. The first phase of the Ebola Virus vaccine clinical trials, which took place in the USA, Great Britain, Switzerland and Mali, showed some promising results, André Mama Fouda pointed out.