Trial for second Ebola vaccine underway in Canada as US tightens guidelines for treating Ebola patients

The WHO has announced that testing is underway at the NIH for an Ebola vaccine.

A trial for a second vaccine, developed in Canada, has started at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in Silver Spring, Maryland.

The WHO's Assistant Director General for health systems and innovation, Dr. Marie Paule Kieny, said the goal is to launch vaccine trials in West Africa by January.

The initial vaccine tests are being given to volunteers in countries such as Mali, the United States and England.

Mr. Kieny said it is impossible to get Ebola from the vaccines because they do not contain enough of the virus' genetic material.

Meabwhile, the United States has tightened guidelines for health workers treating patients with the Ebola virus, calling for new competency training, a buddy system for donning and doffing personal protective equipment, and total coverage of eyes, hair and skin.

WHO has advised health workers to wear masks, but did not require complete coverage of skin.

The developments come in the wake of at least three reported cases of Ebola in the United States.

WHO representative Rui Gama on Monday said Nigeria's development is a spectacular success story.

Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan issued a statement, praising Nigerians who worked to contain the disease, but also directed that all anti-Ebola measures remain in effect, including health screenings for people entering the country.

Source: CNN