Two new trials of Ebola vaccines started on Wednesday, July 15, with various volunteers from Britain, France, the Senegal to test the 'prime-boost' immunizations advanced by the Bavarian Nordic, GlaxoSmithKline and Johnson & Johnson.
The Ebola vaccines trial underway are intentionally developed to test the safety of the vaccines while at the same time, assessing the results as to whether it will fuel the response of the immune system against the virus.
Reports say that the development of the 'prime-boost' and other advanced Ebola vaccines have been improved in response to the unstoppable Ebola outbreaks in West Africa, where there were 11,200 deaths were recorded, and in particular in areas such as Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia.
"The current Ebola outbreak has reinforced that speed of response is crucial," Egeruan Babatunde Imoukhuede, one of the Senegal coordinators, said in a statement.
He added that as the Ebola deadly virus quickens, the cure must also be able to keep up. "Outbreak diseases spread quickly, so any vaccination approach must be able to keep up."
The World Health Organization (WHO) has just released its latest data, showing that there were another 30 Ebola related cases confirmed in West Africa during the first week of July.
While Liberia had been declared Ebola-free last May, a new Ebola case was confirmed on Tuesday, July 14, of which the health officials fear that it may start a new wave of the virus outbreak.
The second test is said to be conducted in Senegal with its two vaccines tested firsthand by the people in Oxford University Jenner Institute. The first trial is grounded on a chimpanzee adenovirus designed to stimulate the immune response while the second trial is formulated to boost the results of the immune response.
Despite the slowing down of the Ebola cases during the past few months, researchers are concerned on the enflamed Ebola virus in Liberia that would need a big push ahead on the potential Ebola vaccines which may help regulate the spreading of virus and possible future outbreaks.
