GENEVA (AP) — The head of the World Health Organization said Wednesday that he expects the first doses of Ebola vaccine targeting the strain behind an outbreak in Uganda to arrive in the country next week. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said an expert committee convened by the agency had evaluated three experimental Ebola vaccines and decided they should all be tested in Uganda as part of the necessary research before being licensed. The WHO chief said efforts to slow Ebola in Uganda have been largely successful. While an effective Ebola vaccine against the Zaire strain exists, the Sudan strain is less common, and research into a possible vaccine against it has not been as advanced. Earlier this month, vaccines alliance Gavi signed an agreement with Merck to secure 300,000 doses of its candidate Ebola vaccine for use in research and beyond.

Source: thestar November 17, 2022 03:02 UTC