A new vaccine has been found to be highly effective against the Ebola virus in the West African nation of Guinea.
According to Dr. Margaret Chan, Director-General of the World Health Organization:
“This is an extremely promising development. The credit goes to the Guinean Government, the people living in the communities and our partners in this project. An effective vaccine will be another very important tool for both current and future Ebola outbreaks,”
The Public Health Agency of Canada developed the vaccine in coordination with experts from the World Health Organization, along with several nations including the United States and the United Kingdom.
The trial design was based on a “ring” strategy, chosen to combat Ebola by vaccinating all those who came into contact with the disease. This was done in order to stop its advancement.
With a 100-percent effectiveness rate in this current trial, more time is needed before the vaccine can be considered sustainable.
Guinea is a nation that has had widespread Ebola transmission, with 3,785 confirmed cases resulting in 2,521 deaths.
Recently, there have been some of the lowest reported numbers in Guinea, with only 4 reported cases after 8 consecutive weeks of anywhere between 20 and 30 cases reported.
However, since Ebola is spread through contact of bodily fluids with anyone who is showing symptoms, there could be a new outbreak of the virus with only one new case.
According to The Heritage Foundation’s James Carafano, “[h]ere at home, one wonders whether—when facing the next impending crisis—the U.S. government will do any better at communicating risk and response measures than it did during last fall’s Ebola scare.”
Dr. Bucci, of the Heritage Foundation, highlighted the importance of national preparedness through screenings and the importance of coordination within the government to confirm that others are equipped to assist. His report takes lessons from other outbreaks and applies them to Ebola. In the end he states that “[g]uaranteeing that [Ebola] won’t come here! is impossible.”
Although there are many challenges that come from a collected effort to eradicate Ebola, it is in our best interest to aid in the prevention of diseases from causing a public health crisis in the United States.
