Tue Feb 04 14:41:09 IST 2025: ## Uganda Launches Emergency Ebola Vaccine Trial Amid Outbreak
**Kampala, Uganda** – Uganda has launched an emergency clinical trial of an experimental Ebola vaccine following the death of a nurse and the confirmation of several more cases of the Sudan Ebola virus. The trial, which began just four days after the announcement of the first fatality in Kampala, prioritizes healthcare workers and those exposed to the virus.
This marks the sixth outbreak of the Sudan Ebola strain in Uganda, a virus for which no licensed vaccine currently exists. The trial utilizes a “ring vaccination” strategy, targeting confirmed cases’ direct contacts and their contacts’ contacts. Initial vaccinations have already reached approximately 40 individuals connected to the deceased nurse.
The World Health Organization (WHO) praised the rapid initiation of the trial, highlighting the groundwork laid during a previous 2022 outbreak. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus lauded the speed of the response on X (formerly Twitter). The outbreak underscores the urgent need for effective vaccines against this deadly strain, considering the significant mortality rates observed in past Ebola epidemics, including the devastating West African outbreak (2013-2016) which claimed over 11,300 lives.
Symptoms of the Sudan Ebola virus include fever, vomiting, bleeding, and diarrhea, with transmission occurring through contact with bodily fluids. Uganda has historically seen a disproportionate number of Sudan Ebola outbreaks, with five of the eight recorded outbreaks occurring within its borders.
First Piper 