Early human clinical trials of the Ebola virus vaccine, called VSV-EBOV, are starting in Silver Springs, Maryland, Health Minister Rona Ambrose announced, according to a report by International Business Times.
"The Canadian vaccine provides great hope and promise because it has shown to be 100% effective in preventing the spread of the Ebola virus when tested on animals," Ambrose stated in a joint press conference in Toronto, Canada with chief public health officer Dr. Gregory Taylor, reported CBC.
The experimental vaccine, first tested on primates, will now be tested on healthy individuals in order to assess the vaccine's safety and to determine the proper dosage added a report by The Guardian.
Scientists believe that the vaccine will prevent infections if administered before exposure. The vaccine also increases the survival chances of those who got it before contracting the disease.
In the same report from CBC, Ambrose and Taylor said that there is a low risk of contracting Ebola in Canada, and that no one in the country has been diagnosed with the disease.
"One person in Belleville, Ont., is in isolation with Ebola-like symptoms, though the hospital described the case as 'extremely low risk.' Another person who had been in isolation in Ottawa since Sunday tested negative for the virus on Monday," added the CBC report, citing health officials.
"The vaccine, which was developed by scientists at the Public Health Agency of Canada's National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg, will be tested on 20 healthy volunteers at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in Silver Spring, Md.," according to CBC.
Twenty vials of the experimental vaccine have been supplied by the Canadian government for the trial. The deployment of the vaccine, however, is expected to be ready after the results of the testing in December.
CBC added, "The Canadian government owns the intellectual property rights to the vaccine but has licensed the rights to a small U.S. biotech company called NewLink Genetics through its wholly owned subsidiary, BioProtection Systems."
The U.S. Defence Threat Reduction Agency is working with BioProtection Systems to help develop the vaccine for the use of citizens.
In addition, The Guardian stated, "NewLink said earlier this month that at least five clinical trials involving the vaccine, known as VSV-EBOV, would soon be underway in the United States, Germany, Switzerland and in an unnamed African country that is not battling Ebola,"
International Business Times added that Canada has long been one of the pioneers in Ebola research. The country is known to have donated $33 million aid for those who have been affected by the Ebola virus.
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