Canadian Ebola vaccine shows promise
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Scientists say a made-in-Canada vaccine could be the beginning of the end of the Ebola outbreak.
A new study says the vaccine designed by scientists at Canada’s National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg induces a quick and highly protective response against the deadly virus.
This is the first time an experimental Ebola vaccine has proven effective.
Thierry Baldet, a senior program specialist at the International Development Research Centre who helped create the vaccine, said he’s extremely proud Canada played such a prominent role.
“It’s really important to have a tool against these infectious diseases and to stop the ongoing outbreak in Guinea and Sierra Leone,” he said. “If we protect the people in Africa, we avoid such introduction of infected people in the U.S. or Europe.”
The vaccine is geared towards the prevention of the virus infection.
“It’s not a drug, it’s not treatment, it’s a prevention tool,” said Baldet, who has over 20 years’ experience in research, surveillance and control of infectious diseases in Africa.
The results from the trial in Guinea are persuasive, says senior study author Marie-Paule Kieny, the World Health Organization’s point person for the development of Ebola vaccines and drugs.
“We have nobody in the 2,000 or so people who have been vaccinated (early) who have had an Ebola (diagnosis) 10 days after the vaccination. Nobody, zero,” she said.
Kieny said discussions will need to take place with the government of Sierra Leone to see if it wants to employ a ring vaccination approach in a bid to finally snuff out the 19-month-old West African outbreak.
Pharmaceutical giant Merck and NewLink Genetics, a biotech firm based in Ames, Iowa, are developing the rVSV-ZEBOV vaccine commercially.
The good news comes a week before the one-year anniversary of the day WHO declared the unprecedented West African outbreak a global public health emergency.
There have been nearly 28,000 cases and nearly 11,300 deaths.
Closer to home, provincial and federal health agencies weighed in on the vaccine results.
“Although it is still early, we will all be watching closely and hoping that today’s news represents a turning point in the fight against Ebola,” Ontario Health Minister Dr. Eric Hoskins said.
Health Canada called the results “promising.”
Jenny.yuen@sunmedia.ca
— With files from The Canadian Press
