Ebola vaccine provides long lasting protection

 

• A new study has examined antibody response among individuals who have received the Ebola vaccine and live in areas of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) that are experiencing outbreaks of Ebola disease.
• Specifically, the researchers analyzed antibody response at various time intervals following vaccination with a single dose of the Ebola vaccine in an at-risk population in the DRC.
• They discovered compelling evidence of robust and persistent antibody response among vaccinated individuals in the affected areas.

The World Health Organization (WHO)Trusted Source defines the Ebola virus disease (EVD) as a “rare but severe, often fatal illness in humans.”

Its symptoms commonly include fever, fatigue, muscle pain, a sore throat, and headaches. Vomiting, diarrhea, and rashes usually follow.

In some cases, EVD symptoms include internal and external bleeding, such as bloody stool or bleeding gums.

At the moment, Ebola vaccines are one part of an important scientific strategy to overcome EVD. Alongside them are treatmentTrusted Source with medications that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved and supportive therapy, such as oral rehydration and intravenous fluids.

A collaborative study between American and Congolese scientists has recently examined the antibody response in Ebola-vaccinated individuals in the DRC, which is one of the first places where scientists discovered EVD.

The study authors have published their findings in the peer-reviewed journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

A collaborative approach

The new study involved experts at the University of California, Los Angeles’s Fielding School of Public Health in partnership with their colleagues in the DRC.

The team enrolled a total of 608 participants between August and September 2018.

The scientists excluded children under 1 year of age and people who were pregnant or breastfeeding,

Eligible study participants were contacts or “contacts of contacts” of confirmed EVD cases or frontline healthcare workers in EVD-affected or potentially affected areas.

During the recruitment period for the study, the Ebola vaccine — rVSVΔG-ZEBOV-GPTrusted Source — was not yet licensed by the FDA. As such, its administration was part of a compassionate useTrusted Source, also known as expanded access, protocol process. In science, this is a situation in which an individual with an immediately life threatening or serious condition gains access to an investigational medical product outside of a clinical trial.

At each study visit, the scientists administered questionnaires to the participants, conducted basic physical assessment tests, and collected blood samples.

The study visits for each participant occurred at the following time intervals:

• day 0, at least 30 minutes after vaccination and after monitoring for potential adverse effects
• between day 21 and 28 after vaccination
• 6 months postvaccination

Overall, 58% of the study participants were aged 20–39 years, and 64% were male.

Of the participants, 32% reported having contact with a confirmed, probable, or suspected EVD case, while 66% reported no contact. The remaining 2% were unaware of their EVD contact history.

Source: Medical News Today