The World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Monday that it is launching its first Ebola virus vaccine trial in Uganda.
"In a landmark step, Uganda, WHO, and partners today launched the first-ever trial for a candidate vaccine against the Ebola Sudan virus. [...] WHO and partners are working closely with the Ministry of Health of Uganda to bolster measures to control and end the outbreak," the WHO regional office for Africa said on X.
If efficacious, the candidate vaccine will potentially contribute to ending the ongoing outbreak and protect populations at risk in the future, the WHO noted.
"This is a critical achievement towards better pandemic preparedness, and saving lives when outbreaks occur," the WHO quoted in a press release its chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, as saying.
On Monday, three vaccination rings were defined, involving about 40 people who had direct or indirect contact with the deceased healthcare worker who was diagnosed with the first reported and confirmed case of the disease, the press release added.