By Haruna Gimba
The World Health Organisation (WHO), said three candidate Ebola vaccines for a proposed clinical trial in Uganda should be shipped to the country next week.
WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus told newsmen on Wednesday at Bali, Indonesia after he participated in the just concluded G20 Summit.
Uganda is going through a major outbreak of the deadly disease, and there have been 141 confirmed cases to date, and 22 probable cases.
Confirmed deaths total 55, with probable deaths at 22, while 73 people have recovered from the disease. The outbreak was declared on September 20.
Since then, the Ugandan authorities and partners have been working under a global effort coordinated by the UN agency to accelerate the development and deployment of vaccines for use in trials.
The director general said a WHO expert committee has evaluated three candidate vaccines and agreed that they all should be included in the planned trial.
“WHO and Uganda’s Minster of Health have considered and accepted the committee’s recommendation. We expect the first doses of vaccine to be shipped to Uganda next week,” he said.
Meanwhile, a separate group of experts has selected two investigational therapeutics for a trial, as well as a trial design, which has been submitted for approval by WHO and the Ugandan authorities.
He noted that although conflict, climate change, and the global food and energy crises have now overshadowed the COVID-19 pandemic as pressing issues for leaders everywhere, they all have profound implications for health.
“The lack of food and energy, or their over-consumption, can have severe consequences for health and economies,” he said.
“Protecting health against the impacts of these crises is essential, but it also helps to protect economies and societies.”
Ghebreyesus congratulated the G20 for adopting a declaration that included strong support for health and health security.
“The G20 leaders said they remain committed to a healthy and sustainable recovery from the pandemic, and building towards achieving and sustaining universal health coverage under the Sustainable Development Goals,” he said.
The world’s leading economies also reaffirmed commitment to strengthen global health governance, with WHO leading and coordinating.
They also welcomed the establishment of a new Pandemic Fund, among other developments.
