Ebola Vaccine trial for future outbreak

-Tolbert Nyenswah

The head for the Government’s Incidence Management System, Tolbert Nyenswah, has clarified that the current Ebola vaccines trial is for future outbreak.

Speaking at the Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism on Monday, Mr. Nyenswah, who is also Assistant Health Minister for Preventive Services, said to stop the current outbreak in Liberia, Liberians should stop running away when they are placed on contact list, adding that the ETUs and community engagement will help eradicate Ebola from the country sooner.

He said a new outbreak is in the St. Paul Bridge community where five new cases have been discovered in the last seven days. According to him, those cases are from Zuba Town, Crab Hole and other communities around Monrovia.

Nyenswah said contacts are escaping and hampering the smooth operation of the Incidence Management System, disclosing that most contacts are leaving from Montserrado and going to counties where Ebola has ceased.

He urged all Ebola contacts to remain in their homes and stop moving from place to place to spread the EVD. Minister Nyenswah assured that food will be provided to contacts and they will be well taken care of as long as they remain in their homes.

He said if Ebola contacts will still be moving from place to place, the IMS will have no option but to execute the Public Health Law, which prohibits people, with contagious sickness leaving from one place to another that could spread such disease.

For his part, the Director for Research on Ebola vaccines, Dr. Cliff Lane, said the vaccine studies were done in the United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland, Europe, USA, Mali and elsewhere.

Dr. Lane said in October last year, they had a meeting with the former Minister of Health Dr. Walter T. Gwenigale about the study of the vaccine and treatment.

Dr. Stephen Kennedy explained that the study is not only in Liberia but similar design can be done in any part of the world.

He noted that the vaccine that was officially launched by the Vice President of Liberia, Joseph N. Boakai on Sunday, February 1, 2015 at the Redemption Hospital in the Borough of New Kru Town has been tested on some volunteer Liberians.

Dr. Kennedy disclosed that about five persons have taken the vaccine, which is for people above five years excluding pregnant women and babies’ mothers.