Encouraging Nigerian researchers on Ebola vaccine

Medical experts proffer that prevention of Ebola viruses from infecting humans is the best way to protect individuals. In general, this is done by isolating individuals who can transmit the viruses’ and or by vaccinating uninfected individuals with a safe and effective vaccine. Isolating individuals who are infected is the current method used to protect uninfected people from Ebola viruses, but unfortunately, in this current outbreak, isolation techniques have not been very effective. Vaccine development began in 2003 against Ebola viruses but none currently are available.

There is no specific treatment for the disease yet and the efforts to help those who are infected are only supportive and include giving either oral rehydration therapy or intravenous fluids. This supportive care though may improve outcomes; the disease has a high risk of death, killing between 25 per cent and 90 per cent of those infected with the virus. Outbreaks of haemorrhagic fever caused by the Ebola virus are associated with high mortality rates that are a distinguishing feature of this human pathogen. Its rapid progression allows little opportunity to develop natural immunity, and there is currently no effective anti-viral therapy. Therefore, vaccination offers a promising intervention to prevent infection and limit spread.

It was recently reported that the federal government of Nigeria convened a stakeholders meeting under the auspices of Treatment Research Group (TRG) to review the current efforts that have been put in place to contain the Ebola Virus Disease, and also to discuss possible local production of vaccines and drugs for the management of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD). According to the report, this is because the drug derived from bitter-kola for the management of EVD has been pencilled down for review and discussion; already there are two drugs that have been derived from it – GB One and Kola Veron.

No doubt, Nigeria has the human capacity that can do extremely well in any discipline; hence a good development that government having contained the Ebola threat is now joining the rest of the world to develop possible cure or vaccine for EVD.

With more than 4,000 people having died from Ebola, most of them in West Africa, the clock is already ticking fast for the biomedical research community. Currently, there is no FDA-approved Ebola vaccine available to individuals; consequently, there is no Ebola vaccine that the FDA or the CDC considers “safe” as of today. However, there is a lot of activity going on related to the development of a safe and effective Ebola vaccine. Consequently, it will be a major breakthrough if Nigeria can advance the drug from bitter kola to produce cure or vaccine.

We know that over the years, government funding  of research has not only been poor but diminishing in sharp contrast with the unshakable faith and belief, governments of the developed countries have in research, science and technology activities; and hence allocate funds as well as encourage and even participate, by way of coordinating the activities in their countries. Therefore, now that government has decided to fund the research on Ebola virus, similar gesture should also be extended to other critical diseases. In addition, no amount of efforts, moral and financial should be considered too much towards promotion of scientific research, science and technology as it holds the key to Nigeria’s transformation.