Uganda have received 1,200 doses of the Ebola trial vaccine to be used in a clinical trial.
The clinical trial which is aimed at fighting the Sudan strain of virus was donated by the World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday December 8, 2022.
Ugandan Minister of Health Jane Ruth Aceng recieving doses at the event held at the state-owned National Medical Stores noted that although the vaccine comes at a time when the Ebola outbreak is on the decline, research will continue to ensure the country is ready in case of any further outbreak.
Charles Njuguna, incident manager for the WHO Country Office in Uganda, who handed over the vaccines, said they have been tested in preliminary studies to determine their efficacy and safety.
“They will be administered to those at the greatest risk, the immediate contacts of a person who has been diagnosed with the Sudan virus disease,” said Njuguna, adding that the participation in the trial is voluntary and free.
According to him, the country’s other outbreak-containment strategies are unaffected by the delivery of the experimental vaccination.
The experiment will be conducted, according to one of the co-investigators and director of the Makerere University Lung Institute, Bruce Kirenga.
According to WHO data, 142 confirmed cases and 55 fatalities have been reported since the nation notified the epidemic on September 20. Nine districts have been impacted thus far, but three of them have already beyond 42 days, the time frame during which a location can be deemed Ebola-free if no cases are detected.
Aceng said the country is still in an Ebola response mode, which will end on Jan. 10, 2023. If no case is reported, Aceng said the WHO will declare Uganda Ebola-free on Jan. 11, 2023. She noted that intense surveillance will continue for another 90 days after the WHO declaration.
