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Uganda’s Ministry of Health, the World Health Organisation (WHO), and other partners have launched the first-ever vaccine trial against the Sudan strain of the Ebola virus.
This marks a global milestone in the fight against the specific strain of the virus confirmed in Uganda on 30 January, according to a WHO statement on Tuesday.
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WHO noted that the trial was ready in just four days after working closely with the principal investigators from Makerere University and the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI), with support from WHO and other partners.
Recall that PREMIUM TIMES reported that the disease was first detected in a nurse at Mulago National Referral Hospital in Kampala, Uganda’s capital.
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Following that, WHO identified 44 contacts of the nurse, who are at high risk of contracting the disease and are currently under surveillance.
Vaccine initiative
According to the WHO’s statement, the launch of the vaccine trial was made possible by advanced research preparedness, coupled with rigorous adherence to national and international regulatory, ethical, and safety standards.
The trial aims to assess the clinical efficacy of a vaccine against Ebola disease caused by the Sudan virus.
The vaccine candidate, donated by International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI), has received financial support from WHO, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC), and the European Commission’s Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA).
Also, the trial received valuable support from the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).
According to WHO’s Director-General, Tedros Ghebreyesus, the trial is a critical achievement towards better pandemic preparedness and saving lives when outbreaks occur.
Mr Ghebreyesus attributed the trial’s success to the dedication of Uganda’s health workers, communities, and research efforts led by WHO.
He said: “This is possible because of the dedication of Uganda’s health workers, the involvement of communities, the Ministry of Health of Uganda, Makerere University and UVRI, and research efforts led by WHO involving hundreds of scientists through our research and development Filoviruses network.
“We thank our partners for their dedication and cooperation, from IAVI for donating the vaccine, to CEPI, EU HERA and Canada’s IDRC for funding, and Africa CDC for further support. This massive achievement would simply not be possible without them.”
Outbreak in Uganda
The statement further explained that in 2022, Uganda faced an Ebola outbreak caused by the Sudan species of the virus, prompting the development of a randomised protocol for candidate vaccines.
Under the Minister of Health’s leadership, principal investigators were appointed, and teams received training to facilitate the trial during the active outbreak.
The current outbreak has randomised vaccine trials assessing the recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus (rVSV) candidate vaccine launched in Kampala by the Minister of Health of Uganda.
The trial, according to them, has three vaccination rings, with the first ring focusing on approximately 40 contacts and contacts of the initial reported and confirmed case, a healthcare worker who passed away.
WHO stated that currently, there are no licensed vaccines to combat Ebola disease caused by the Sudan strain of the virus.
Licensed vaccines are only available for Ebola virus, formerly known as Zaïre ebolavirus. Similarly, approved treatments only exist for Ebola virus.
Sudan virus
The Sudan virus disease, also known as Sudan Ebola or Sudan hemorrhagic fever, is a severe and often fatal illness caused by the Sudan virus, a member of the Filoviridae family of viruses.
Hemorrhagic symptoms, including bleeding, fever, and organ failure, characterise the disease.
Historically, the Sudan virus disease was first identified in 1976 during an outbreak in South Sudan.
The outbreak occurred in Nzara, near the Sudanese border with the Democratic Republic of Congo. Since then, there have been several outbreaks of the disease in Africa, primarily in Sudan, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The Sudan virus disease has a high mortality rate, ranging from 41 per cent to 100 per cent in past outbreaks.
The virus is primarily transmitted through contact with infected bodily fluids, such as blood, sweat, and saliva.
