Ebola Vaccine for Rare Strain Could Take Nine Months, WHO Says
The World Health Organization (WHO) says it could take up to nine months for a vaccine to be ready.
A Long Wait for a Vaccine
The vaccine would target this particular species of Ebola. Two possible “candidate vaccines” are being developed. Neither has gone through clinical trials yet. WHO advisor Dr Vasee Moorthy confirmed this on Wednesday.
Rising Case Numbers
WHO chief Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said there have been 600 suspected cases of Ebola. There have also been 139 suspected deaths. However, numbers are expected to rise. It took time to detect the virus. Speaking to journalists in Geneva, he said 51 cases have been confirmed in DR Congo. Two cases have been confirmed in neighboring Uganda. The first case was reported in DR Congo.
Not a Pandemic Emergency
On Sunday, the WHO declared a public health emergency of international concern. However, it said the situation was not at pandemic level. Tedros said the emergency committee agreed it was “not a pandemic emergency”. The WHO assesses the risk as high at national and regional levels. But the global risk remains low.
