Health authorities in Uganda have launched a clinical trial for an Ebola vaccine, four days after the country reported the death of a nurse in the capital, Kampala.
During contact tracing, two more cases were confirmed on Monday in relatives of the first victim.
The World Health Organization (WHO) chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said on X that the vaccination trial was initiated with record speed. According to the WHO, the first vaccination ring defined on Monday included 40 direct contacts and their secondary contacts linked to the deceased health worker.
The doses are being administered using a “ring” vaccination strategy, where the first jabs are given to all contacts of confirmed Ebola patients and their contacts.
This marks the sixth outbreak of the Sudan strain of the virus in Uganda, for which there is no approved vaccine. Of the five other Ebola species, only one has a licensed vaccine.