Doses of Ebola candidate vaccines expected to be shipped to Uganda next week: WHO
Geneva, Switzerland (PANA) - Three candidate Ebola vaccines for a proposed clinical trial in Uganda should be shipped to the country next week, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said on Wednesday.
Uganda is going through a major outbreak of the deadly disease, and there have been 141 confirmed cases to date, and 22 probable cases.
Confirmed deaths total 55, with probable deaths at 22, while 73 people have recovered from the disease.
The outbreak was declared on 20 September. Since then, the Ugandan authorities and partners have been working under a global effort coordinated by the UN agency to accelerate the development and deployment of vaccines for use in trials.
Dr. Tedros said a WHO expert committee has evaluated three candidate vaccines and agreed that they all should be included in the planned trial.
“WHO and Uganda’s Minister of Health have considered and accepted the committee’s recommendation. We expect the first doses of vaccine to be shipped to Uganda next week,” he told journalists.
Meanwhile, a separate group of experts has selected two investigational therapeutics for a trial, as well as a trial design, which has been submitted for approval by WHO and the Ugandan authorities.
Dr. Tedros was speaking from Bali, Indonesia, where he participated in the G20 Summit, which concluded on Wednesday.
He noted that although conflict, climate change, and the global food and energy crises have now overshadowed the COVID-19 pandemic as pressing issues for leaders everywhere, they all have profound implications for health.
“The lack of food and energy, or their over-consumption, can have severe consequences for health and economies,” he said.
“Protecting health against the impacts of these crises is essential, but it also helps to protect economies and societies.”
Dr. Tedros congratulated the G20 for adopting a declaration that includes strong support for health and health security.
“The G20 leaders said they remain committed to a healthy and sustainable recovery from the pandemic, and building towards achieving and sustaining universal health coverage under the Sustainable Development Goals.”
The world’s leading economies also reaffirmed commitment to strengthen global health governance, with WHO leading and coordinating.
They also welcomed the establishment of a new Pandemic Fund, among other developments.
-0- PANA MA 17Nov2022
