By URN
Uganda is set to receive a hundred doses of a trial vaccine being developed to prevent the Ebola Sudan strain.
Dr. Tegnen Woldermariam revealed this on Thursday at a weekly WHO Africa press conference. He explained that there are two trial drugs being studied whose safety data have been obtained for the strain but the country is set to receive one that is in more advanced stages.
The trial vaccine will be provided by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Sabin Vaccine Institute.
He said because the supplies are limited, the model being taken in the roll-out of this vaccine that is expected in the country in a week’s time and will only be used to vaccinate immediate contacts of confirmed Ebola Sudan cases. This is different from the Ebola Zaire vaccine where ring vaccination is done among high-risk individuals including health workers.
Woldermariam added the vaccine may be available in a week since many of the necessary approvals have already been done.
