The Ebola virus has taken the lives of over 700 people this year, the largest outbreak in history. With a case fatality rate of up to 90% and no specific treatment options available, the virus can be especially dangerous. No vaccines are currently approved for clinical use, although there are several currently in development. Some have shown promise in animal studies – one such vaccine was used as a treatment that helped four out of eight infected animals. An effective Ebola vaccine could be used not only to prevent Ebola, but to halt transmission during outbreaks.
One of the potential Ebola treatments is ZMapp, developed by Mapp Biopharmaceutical Inc. Two American healthcare workers infected with the virus have been brought to the U.S. and given the experimental treatment. The treatment had previously shown improvements in monkeys infected with the virus, but had never been given to humans. Both patients have shown signs of improvement after receiving ZMapp.
Going beyond a vaccine or treatment would be discovering a way to prevent the spreading of infectious diseases that originate in the wild. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has even created a group of experts, the Emerging Pandemic Threats (EPT), to create an early warning system of a potential outbreak. Such a system could help warn against diseases that spread from animals to humans, including SARS and avian flu. Click on the links below to learn more about the Ebola virus and its potential vaccines and treatments.
Update 8/7/14: The National Institute of Health (NIH) has announced that a clinical trial of an investigational Ebola vaccine is expected to take place next month. The NIH will work with the FDA in attempts to fast track the vaccine into a phase I clinical trial. If proven safe and effective, the vaccine may potentially be administered to health care workers in Africa as early as next year.
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