EBOLA VACCINE MAY BE AVAILABLE 2015

There are strong indications that a vaccine for the prevention of the dreaded Ebola virus may be available by 2015.

The World Health Organisation (WHO), which made this announcement on Saturday, adding that clinical trials of a vaccine made by British pharmaceutical company, GlaxoSmithKline, may begin in September.

WHO’s head of vaccines and immunisation, Jean-Marie Okwo Bele, who disclosed this to a French radio station said the organisation was “targeting September for the start of clinical trials, first in the United States and certainly in African countries, since that’s where we have the cases.” 

He added that he was optimistic about making the vaccine commercially available. 

“We think that if we start in September, we could already have results by the end of the year. And since this is an emergency, we can put emergency procedures in place so that we can have a vaccine available by 2015.”

Ebola, which is currently causing panic across the world, particularly in Africa, has no available cure or vaccine at the moment. 

It is believed to have claimed close to 1,000 lives in the latest epidemic to spread across West Africa this year and many African countries have risen in efforts to contain its spread among the people, by far the biggest problem faced on this being unavailability of cure. 

Reports had it that several vaccines are being tested, and that a treatment made by San Diego-based Mapp Biopharmaceutical, ZMapp, has shown promising results on monkeys and may have been effective in treating two Americans recently infected in Africa, but being taken care of in the United States.

Meanwhile, Minister of State for Health, Dr Khaliru Al-Hassan, has reiterated the Federal Government’s directive banning the movement of dead bodies from within and outside the country, as part of measures to avoid the spread of the Ebola virus.

Consequently, he declared that any Nigerian  who dies of Ebola abroad, especially in Sierra -Leone, Guinea and Liberia, should be buried in those countries. 

Al-Hassan, who disclosed this on Saturday  in Kano during the third meeting of Northern traditional leaders on primary health care, said that dead bodies remain a threat in the spread of the spread deadly virus.

He however insisted that the Ebola virus had not been found anywhere in Nigeria except Lagos.

His words: “Henceforth, dead bodies would not be allowed to be transferred from one part of the country to another. 

“Wherever the dead die, they should be buried there. 

“We have suspended bringing corpses from outside the country, particularly these three countries—Liberia, Sierra-Leone and Guinea.

“Any corpse from  these three countries should be buried there; we will not allow anybody to come in regardless of his position.

“We have directed the appropriate authorities to ensure that this is not done; therefore, we want to appeal to people for understanding. 

We are doing our best to curb Ebola spread —Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan has said that his administration is leaving no stone unturned to curb the spread of the dreaded Ebola virus in the country.

Jonathan gave this assurance over the weekend at the three-day 24th Annual Conference of the Nigerian Environmental Society (NES) in Warri, Delta State.

Jonathan, who was represented by the Minister of Environment, Mrs Laurentia Laraba Mallam, said the various committees set up to tackle the scourge were working assiduously, saying Nigerians should maintain a clean environment around them.

Chief of the event, Governor of Delta State, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan, who was represented by the state Commissioner for Environment, Mr Frank Omare, said the state government was committed to climate change nuances.

He stated that government was taking various proactive steps against the activities of environmental saboteurs.

Uduaghan observed that his administration had embarked on construction of drainage systems and clearing of waterways in various parts of the state to forestall flooding.  

Meanwhile, the National President of NES, Mr Olu Andah Wai-Ogosu, who gave the theme of the conference as “Sustainable Use of Rivers in Nigeria,” underscored the appropriateness of the topic, saying  rivers provide important basic needs for the survival of man.

Wai-Ogosu, while appreciating the efforts of government at all level towards the professionalisation of the body, noted that the body will partner government to enlighten Nigerians on the management of the spread of the Ebola virus.