With many cases in Sierra Leone potentially going unreported, the real figure is likely to be much higher, the study said. “The way we prepare for, and respond to, future outbreaks of Ebola and other infectious diseases needs to be strengthened”.
He praised China for being the first country to help Sierra Leone’s fight against Ebola through sending medical supplies and personnel.
The Chinese drug has obvious advantages compared with the other vaccines in the clinical phase, the report said.
J&J’s Janssen is partnering with Bavarian Nordic on a two-dose, prime-boost regimen.
“Our findings show the unprecedented local and global response led to a substantial decline in Ebola transmission”, Adam Kucharski, a study co-author also associated with the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said in announcement about the publication.
GlaxoSmithKline is also working on an Ebola vaccine. To achieve this goal, it is vital to test a range of vaccine candidates, particularly in the areas affected by the epidemic where we are still seeing new cases emerging, and there is evidence that the infection may have longer-term effects among survivors.
The Johnson & Johnson study, in development at subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceutical Cos., will evaluate safety and immune response within Sierra Leone’s general population.
Between September 2014 and February 2015, Britain - which led the response in Sierra Leone - introduced more than 1,500 beds into Ebola holding centres and community centres and 1,200 beds into specialised treatment units, with the volunteer staff and equipment to run them.
Almost two years after it began, the Ebola outbreak in West Africa appears almost over. The ongoing trial in Africa followed the first phase of testing, which was conducted in China using Chinese and African volunteers.
This focused on increasing the number of available treatment beds which isolated the ill to prevent further infections in the community, changing behaviour so people suspected of having Ebola sought treatment early, and making burials safe.
The Ebola outbreak in West Africa began in March 2014 and has put the health care associates of Sierra Leone, under remarkable pressure. As of October 2015, over 28,400 people have been infected with the virus across the three countries, and almost 11,300 have died - including more than 500 health care workers. Liberia has recently been declared Ebola free, while Guinea and Sierra Leone have very few cases left.
