Uganda has begun a clinical trial of a vaccine against the Sudan strain of Ebola, which has claimed one life and infected two others. The trial targets health workers and those exposed to the virus, as authorities investigate the source of the outbreak.
The vaccine, rVSV-ZEBOV, was previously used in an Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo between 2018 and 2020 and proved effective in containing the spread of the disease. Health authorities have identified over 234 contacts in this outbreak and have access to more than 2,000 doses of the vaccine.
This is the first Ebola outbreak since Uganda withdrew from the U.N. health agency under Trump’s administration, and comes as the country faces a highly mobile population of nearly 4 million people. The World Health Organization (WHO) has praised the trial as a “major milestone in public health emergency response” and a demonstration of global collaboration for health security.
Ebola is spread through contact with bodily fluids or contaminated materials and can cause symptoms such as fever, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle pain, and internal and external bleeding. Scientists believe that humans acquire Ebola through contact with infected animals or eating raw meat.
Source: https://apnews.com/article/uganda-ebola-outbreak-vaccine-trial-b31087ae1e6945b5d004c7cb951818a5