Ebola vaccine for West Africa still in Canada, 6 weeks after it was promised

Friday, September 26, 2014

The experimental Ebola vaccine that Canada promised to ship to West Africa to help fight the epidemic six weeks ago has yet to be shipped to West Africa a, says Dr. Gregory Taylor, the country’s new chief public health officer.

The 800 to 1,000 doses of the vaccine, which was developed at the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg, are ready to be shipped at any time, Taylor said, butthe WHO is still trying to figure out where exactly the vaccine should be shipped, how it will get there, including how to keep it refrigerated for the entire trip to West Africa, and who will be responsible for it when it arrives.

“We have such a small amount. Even with 1,000 doses, the number of people with this disease are huge compared to that,” Taylor said. “Where should you ship it? How should you ship it? It is a live, atinuated virus, so that means it has to be kept at a certain temperature throughout or it kills the virus and it’s inactive.”

Source: CBC News (link opens in a new window)

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Health Care
Tags
governance, infectious diseases, vaccines