Human trials of Ebola vaccines start in Liberia

The first large-scale human trial of Ebola vaccines in the world started on February 2. The trials are being done in Liberia at an undisclosed location under tight security.

Liberia, which lies in West Africa, is one of the worst Ebola affected countries. According to the World Health Organization, 8,810 people have died of Ebola in West Africa till January 25, 2015, in the current outbreak. The number of deaths in Liberia is 3,686.

“The trial, which began on Monday, involves injecting 12 volunteers with a vaccine that contains a small, harmless fragment of the Ebola virus. The aim is to trick the body into producing an immune response,” says a story published in BBC on February 2.

The viral disease has a high mortality rate, with only 40 per cent of hospitalised Ebola patients surviving. The virus spreads through bodily fluids and symptoms of the disease include high fever and internal bleeding.