Updated 2:59 p.m. Moscow Time
MOSCOW, October 21 (RIA Novosti) – Vaccines that may be effective against the deadly Ebola virus may be tested on human patients in the next two weeks, WHO Assistant Director-General for Health Systems and Innovation Marie Paule Kieny said Tuesday.
She said the first clinical tests are to begin “within two weeks” and are expected to take from six months to year.
At the moment, there is no officially approved medication for Ebola, however, Russia, alongside the United Kingdom, the United States, Japan and Canada, is currently working on a vaccine.
Earlier in October, Russian Health Minister Veronika Skvortsova said that Russian scientists were getting ready to test Ebola vaccine on primates to further proceed with clinical tests.
The current Ebola outbreak began in Guinea in February, and spread to Liberia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria and Senegal, however, Senegal and Nigeria have recently been declared free of Ebola by the World Health Organization (WHO). Several cases of the disease have also been registered outside of West Africa.
According to the October 17 WHO data, more than 4,500 people have died from the disease, with more than 9,200 confirmed, probable and suspected Ebola cases.
