The Ebola vaccine countdown is here!

The Ministry of Health in partnership with World Health Oganization is making final preparations to kick off the Ebola Vaccine trial in Uganda.

Top Ministry of Health and WHO Representatives visited the study base in Mulago Hospital to assess the readiness to rapidly start the clinical trial when the candidate vaccines arrive

The Minister of Health, Dr Jane Ruth Aceng, and the WHO Country Representative, Dr Yonas Tegegn Woldemariam toured the clinical trial base in Kampala and took stock of equipmentprocured for use during the Trial.

These included supplies the cold chain, Personal Protective Equipment, study tablets for the research teams, and other medical material.

The Principal Investigator Prof. Bruce Kirenga told the visiting teams that Preparedness is now at 92 per cent.

The Trial Manager Dr Joanita Nalunjogi explained that five research teams have been recruited, trained and are ready for deployment once the vaccines arrive.

According to the World Health Organization country representative Dr  Tegegn, the team is looking at three candidate vaccines to use in the trial including the CAD3 Sabin vaccine, CADOX1 from the University of Oxford and the rsvs the Merck/IAVI Vaccine to test whether one or more will protect against Eboal caused by the Sudan ebola virus.

Dr Aceng points out that Uganda is doing a groundbreaking work which will have uses far beyond the current outbreak.

“We shall be providing science to the whole world when all this is done” she said

She highlighted the importance of the research teams followingthe research protocol that has now received necessary approvals from ethics and other regulatorys committees and noted the strong leadership from the Principal Investigator, Prof Kirenga

As of the 26th November,  theEbola outbreak in Uganda documented 141 confirmed and 22 probable cases (total 163 cases) of which there are 55 confirmed deaths and 22 probable deaths (total 77 deaths).

There are 544 active contacts listed in five districts. Altogether 3802 contacts have completed 21 days of monitoring.