DR Congo hosts pivotal human trial of Ervebo vaccine for cross-protection against Ebola variants

Ervebo, a vaccine approved for use against the more common Zaire strain of Ebola, will be put through a full-scale human trial in the DRC to see if it offers any cross-protection against Bundibugyo

Source

The Hindu — Science & Tech →

Quick Revision

Prelims-testable facts

01The Ervebo vaccine has been approved for use against the Zaire strain of Ebola.
02A full-scale human trial of the Ervebo vaccine is being conducted in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to test its cross-protection against the Bundibugyo strain.
03The trial is being conducted to evaluate whether the Ervebo vaccine can shield frontline and healthcare workers against the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola.
04The Ervebo vaccine is already used against the Zaire species of Ebola.
05The trial is being conducted in Bunia, the capital of Ituri province, in the DRC.
06The trial is being conducted in collaboration with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and research partner Epicentre.
07The trial aims to determine whether the Ervebo vaccine offers any cross-protection against the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola.

Trap alerts

Most people think the Ervebo vaccine has been approved for use against all strains of Ebola, but actually it has only been approved for use against the Zaire strain.
Most people think the trial is being conducted to test the effectiveness of the Ervebo vaccine against the Bundibugyo strain, but actually it is being conducted to test its cross-protection.

Current-affairs link

The World Health Organization (WHO) has been involved in expedited talks with the DRC to start a multi-armed Phase 3 clinical trial of Ebola vaccines.

Prelims Practice MCQs

Single facteasy

Where is the Ebola vaccine trial taking place?

A.Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
B.World Health Organization (WHO)
C.Africa
D.United States

The Ebola vaccine trial is taking place in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to test the cross-protection of the Ervebo vaccine against the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola.

Multiple statementsmedium

Consider the following statements regarding Ebola Vaccine Trial in DR Congo: 1. The trial is being conducted to see if the vaccine offers cross-protection against the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola. 2. The vaccine being tested is called Ervebo. 3. The trial aims to see if the vaccine offers cross-protection against the Sudan strain of Ebola. How many of the above statements are correct?

A.Only one
B.Only two
C.All three
D.None

The fact list supports the first two statements as the trial is indeed being conducted to see if the vaccine offers cross-protection against the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, and the vaccine being tested is indeed called Ervebo. However, the third statement is false as the fact list does not mention the Sudan strain of Ebola, but rather the Bundibugyo strain.

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