Uganda receives Ebola vaccine candidates for trials

Uganda health ministry on Thursday announced the arrival of a shipment of Ebola vaccine candidates set to be used in a clinical trial.

In Uganda, the outbreak has infected 142 people and killed at least 56.
The country said last week it had discharged its last Ebola patient from hospital, raising hopes for the end of an outbreak .

Health ministry spokesman Emmanuel Ainebyoona said the health minister was expected to announce the start date of trials later on Thursday.
Health officials have previously said everything was in place for the trials to start and they were only waiting for the doses to arrive.

CBA TV early reported that WHO said it would send three vaccine candidates to Uganda to be used in a trial, one by the University of Oxford and Serum Institute of India, another by the Sabin Vaccine Institute and a third by Merck & Co Inc.
Existing vaccines combat the more common Zaire strain, which spread during recent outbreaks in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo.

The deadly haemorrhagic fever declared on September 20 causes vomiting, diarrhoea, and bleeding from all body orifices, and spreads through contact with the bodily fluids of those infected.