WHO’s committee of external experts has approved candidate vaccines for inclusion in the planned clinical trial
Kampala, Uganda | Xinhua | The World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday said Uganda will receive the Sudan strain Ebola trial vaccine next week as the country grapples with containing the spread of the deadly disease.
WHO Representative to Uganda Yonas Tegegn Woldemariam, told a WHO Africa Online Briefing that the first people who will receive the vaccine are people who have got into contact with confirmed Ebola cases and the health workers who are treating the patients.
“We have to get engaged with contacts and health workers and inform them of the benefits and the potential side effects,” Woldemariam said.
Lt Col Dr Henry Kyobe, incident commander for the Ebola outbreak at the Ministry of Health, said the trial vaccines have been tested before and are safe for humans.
.@WHOAFRO Regional Director with #Uganda
Minister of Health Hon. Dr @JaneRuth_Aceng in #Kampala. Dr @MoetiTshidi is in Uganda this week to see firsthand the country's response efforts to the #Ebola outbreak & engage with teams on the frontlines. pic.twitter.com/7AXvf0aVG2
— WHO African Region (@WHOAFRO) November 16, 2022
Watch now: @WHOAFRO press briefing on the #Ebola outbreak in #Uganda. Dr @MoetiTshidi will be joined by Lt. Col Dr Henry Kyobe Bosa, Incident Commander, #Ebola outbreak, @MinofHealthUG, Uganda
— WHO African Region (@WHOAFRO) November 17, 2022
Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa, said WHO’s committee of external experts has approved the candidate vaccines for inclusion in the planned clinical trial. Matshidiso said the start of the clinical trial marks a pivotal progression toward the development of the first vaccine against the Sudan strain.
The officials said vaccines are some of the major tools that can be used to contain the spread of Ebola.
Ruth Aceng, Uganda’s Minister of Health, last month said the ministry will evaluate the efficacy of three trial vaccines, which include Oxford from Britain, Sabin, and Merck from the United States.
Aceng said the vaccines would be evaluated if they can protect the contacts of Ebola patients within 29 days of contact.
WHO figures show to date there have been a total of 141 confirmed and 22 probable Ebola infections in Uganda, and 55 confirmed and 22 probable deaths.
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