Rwanda launched a vaccine trial against the Marburg virus on Sunday in desperate efforts to combat an outbreak which has already killed a dozen people since 27 September.
The first cases were detected among patients in health facilities, but there is still no confirmation of the source of the outbreak, reports Al Jazeera.
The experimental vaccine, currently in phase 2 trials, was provided by the US-based Sabin Vaccine Institute.
Health Minister Sabin Nsanzimana Nsanzimana said the shots would prioritise people who were “most at risk, most exposed healthcare workers working in treatment centres, in the hospitals, in ICU, in emergency, but also the close contacts of the confirmed cases”.
The Sabin Vaccine Institute said it had sent an initial shipment of 700 vaccine doses, and that trials had already been under way in neighbouring Uganda and Kenya, with no safety concerns reported to date.
The Rwandan Government said there were 46 confirmed cases, with 29 of them in isolation. Authorities have identified at least 400 people who came into contact with confirmed cases of the virus.
Without treatment, Marburg can be fatal in up to 88% of cases.
Al Jazeera article – Rwanda begins vaccine trial to curb Marburg virus outbreak (Open access)
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