In an update on the patient being treated for Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) at the NIH Clinical Center in Bethesda, MD, officials say the patient has improved from critical to serious condition.
Ring vaccination tests of VSV-EBOV, a lead Ebola vaccine developed by the Public Health Agency of Canada, received an excellent response from the community in a small village in the Coyah prefecture, where the trial team arrived on 23 March, the World Health Organization reports.
“This landmark operation gives hope to all of us, in Guinea and in the world, that we might soon have an effective public health tool against Ebola, should the vaccine prove to be safe and effective,” stated the WHO Representative in Guinea, Dr. Jean-Marie Dangou. “The start of ring vaccination clinical testing today in Guinea is therefore one of the most important milestones we have achieved in seeking a modern line of defense against Ebola.”
The latest news from West Africa shows that during the week ending 22 March, a total of 79 new confirmed cases of EVD were reported, the lowest weekly total in 2015.
There were 45 new confirmed cases reported from Guinea. Having reported no cases for 3 consecutive weeks, a new confirmed case was reported from Liberia on 20 March. Sierra Leone reported 33 new confirmed cases in the week to 22 March.
There have been 24,872 reported confirmed, probable, and suspected cases of EVD in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, with 10,311 reported deaths to date.
