Existing jabs that effectively halt the more common Zaire strain do not work with the Ebolavirus behind Uganda’s outbreak
Experimental Ebola vaccines are set to arrive in Uganda next week, the World Health Organization has said, as the deadly outbreak continues to spread.
It is hoped the shots will play a critical role in curbing the epidemic, which, since late September, has infected 163 people and killed 77 across nine regions of Uganda, including the capital Kampala.
The outbreak has been caused by a relatively rare type of Ebolavirus, known as the Sudan strain, which has not been recorded since 2012.
While there are now vaccines to combat the more common Zaire strain, which have been instrumental in halting several recent outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of Congo, these do not work against the virus currently spreading in Uganda.