Kampala: The ongoing Ebola vaccine trial in Uganda is an achievement in the fight against the disease, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said.
The WHO said the trial, which began with contacts of the index Ebola case in the country, aims to assess the clinical efficacy of a candidate vaccine against the Sudan strain of the Ebola virus. According to the UN agency, this is the first-ever vaccine trial for the Sudan strain of Ebola.
It noted that principal investigators from Uganda's Makerere University and the state-run Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI), with support from the WHO and other partners, worked to prepare the trial within four days at Mulago National Referral Hospital in Kampala, the capital of Uganda, following the outbreak's confirmation on January 30.
"This is a critical achievement toward better pandemic preparedness and saving lives when outbreaks occur," said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, as quoted in the statement.
The WHO has donated 2,160 doses of the trial vaccine to Uganda. Uganda declared an Ebola outbreak after a 32-year-old nurse succumbed to the disease. The Ministry of Health said 45 people who had contact with the deceased have been identified.
