Ebola is a viral infectious disease that we all have heard of. It causes hemorrhagic fever and it´s the responsible for numerous deaths over the years in different parts of the world. Well, finally we have some good news!
In recent days, numerous test had been executed with an experimental vaccine against Ebola that in its first results appeared to offer 100% protection against this terrible disease.
The study was conducted in 11, 841 Guinean residents. Of the 5,873 people who received the vaccine, none were infected with the Ebola virus in the next 10 days, when 23 patients of those who did not receive the vaccine were infected.
The results are so promising that even though they do not yet have the approval of any regulatory agency, production has already begun and there are 300,000 doses in case of emergency due to an outbreak.
Nevertheless, Vaccines still have to be improved. It appears to be effective only with one of the two most common strains of the disease and it seems that the protection it offers is not for an extended time. Joint pain and headaches can also be mentioned as some of the most common side effects.
"The vaccine is a big step in the right direction for the final solution but not the ultimate solution," said Dr. Garry Nabel, global scientific director of health for the pharmaceutical company Sanofi.
