Uganda starts trials of Ebola, Marburg vaccines

Uganda started Africa’s first trials of vaccines for Ebola and Marburg hemorrhagic fever aimed at evaluating the safety and efficacy of the drugs, the country’s Makerere University Walter Reed Project said. Trials will be conducted on 108 healthy adults, the project said in an advert published today in the Kampala- based Daily Monitor newspaper. The vaccines are experimental and are for use only in research. They aren’t approved for the prevention of infection during Ebola and Marburg outbreaks, the project said. The vaccines don’t contain any Ebola and Marburg particles, it added. Ebola is a severe and often fatal disease in humans and primates, while Marburg causes victims to suffer high fever, vomiting and severe bleeding.