Liberian Woman Ebola (Photo : Reuters)
A new high-dose Ebola vaccine developed by Chinese scientists could finally be used to treat patients in West Africa after it was declared safe this week.
According to a paper published by the scientists in U.K. medical journal The Lancet, the new Ebola vaccine was safely tested in up to 120 individuals in China's eastern coastal Jiangsu Province.
The researchers described the new Ebola vaccine as "robustly immunogenic," adding that it triggers a defensive response to the virus within 14 days.
The new Ebola vaccine was jointly developed by Tianjin CanSino Biotechnology and the Academy of Military Medical Sciences. Reports indicate that the vaccine has been undergoing tests since Dec. 2014.
Unlike the two other Ebola vaccines currently available--the VSV-EBOV, which was developed by Canada's Public Health Agency, and the cAd3-ZEBOV, which was developed by GlaxoSmithKline along with the U.S. National Institutes of Health--the new Chinese Ebola vaccine was built according to the strain of the virus found in West Africa last year.
The new Ebola vaccine is said to be stable and much more conducive for transportation in rural parts of West Africa, where the effects of the virus have been most pronounced.
The recent outbreak of Ebola in West Africa has been described as one of the deadliest medical disasters in recent history. Up to 10,000 people are estimated to have died from the virus and about twice that number have become infected since last year.
Despite the fact that the virus seems to have been eliminated in Liberia, health experts have warned that the country must go 42 days without any new cases before it will be declared free of Ebola.
Meanwhile, the rate of Ebola infections in neighboring Sierra Leone and Guinea has continued to increase this year.
China has been one of the most stalwart supporters of African countries during the recent Ebola crisis. The Asian giant has contributed over 726 million yuan ($120 million) and also sent hundreds of medical staff to affected countries.
