Johnson & Johnson has started a clinical trial to assess the safety and immunogenicity of its under development Ebola prime-boost vaccine regimen in Sierra Leone. Liberia has recently been declared Ebola free, while Guinea and Sierra Leone have very few cases left.
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“Our findings show the unprecedented local and global response led to a substantial decline in Ebola transmission”, said lead author Adam Kucharski, lecturer in infectious disease epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.
He said the vaccine could contribute to the government efforts to contain the deadly disease.
Johnson & Johnson, based in New Brunswick, New Jersey, said that there are separate studies being conducted in the US, Europe and Africa as part of the accelerated development plan to prevent Ebola outbreaks. The vaccine entered phase of its clinical trials on Sunday.
Nurses interviewed for the study said that many pregnant women refused to go to health centres because they were afraid of being diagnosed with Ebola, while others chose to visit traditional healers and herbalists instead.
The delivery of almost 3,000 beds by Britain, Sierra Leoneand aid agencies between September 2014 and February this year prevented 57,000 Ebola infections and 40,000 deaths, according to experts at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM). First one is AdVac dose for prime patients’ immune system, and then MVA-BN dose meant to be given two months later to boost their immune response, with the goal of potentially strengthening the duration of the immunity.
He praised China for being the first country to help Sierra Leone’s fight against Ebola through sending medical supplies and personnel.
The stage 2 will see around 400 individuals, including adolescents and children, vaccinated to further evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of the vaccine regimen across different age groups.
Maternal and newborn deaths in Sierra Leone have soared since the Ebola outbreak in West Africa as fear of being infected and mistrust of health workers deter pregnant women from giving birth in health facilities, researchers said on Tuesday.
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Janssen’s EBOVAC1 and EBODAC consortia partners also include the University of Oxford, Inserm, Grameen Foundation and World Vision of Ireland.
