Interview: Expert calls for speeding up procedures to find Ebola vaccine

Prof. Souleymane Mboup, the co-chair of the organizing committee of the Dakar Forum held from Jan. 19 to 20, has called for acceleration of procedures to find the treatment and vaccine for Ebola virus.

Speaking exclusively to Xinhua in Dakar, the Senegalese medical specialist insisted on the need for research and creation of a regional research and disease surveillance agency.

"We must be able to demonstrate the efficacy of drugs and vaccines that we are testing. The usual procedure takes a lot of time but in the face of the current emergency, we must go very fast," Mboup said, adding that "during the crisis period we must accelerate the procedures, but ensure the clinical trials are conducted in conformity with ethical rules."

Normally, the specialist said, there are three phases of conducting clinical trials of a drug.

"Phase one which takes about a year, is conducted on a small number of people to see whether the vaccine has any negative effect. Phase two takes about two years and it's meant to confirm the results of the first phase," he said, noting that Senegal was entering phase two with regards to conducting clinical tests for Ebola vaccine.

Senegal will have to carry out the tests within a very limited time, he said.

"Even before we finish the second phase, we have already began making preparations for the third phase because we have to go very fast," Mboup said.

Before the end of this year, there should be information on the efficacy of clinical tests so that we can start using some of the products in stock, he said.

Mboup said the two-day forum in Dakar aims to call for accelerating the process of finding a vaccine and drugs for Ebola.

Another possible method, Mboup said, was the utilization of plasma from those who had been cured.

"We have already used the plasma of those cured from Ebola to treat some Ebola patients but we have not yet carried out clinical trials to know their real efficacy," he said.

He said the plasma method is facing some technological challenges in Africa as South Africa was the only country with capacity to use the method.

"Fortunately, Bill and Melinda Foundation have provided considerable resources to avail this technology in the most affected countries," the specialist said.

Asked about the current methods being used to treat Ebola patients, he said most doctors are administering treatment which can only help prevent the disease from progressing to the critical stages.

To prevent the Ebola outbreak, he urged countries to put in place emergency response centers as Nigeria, Senegal and Mali had done to prevent the spread of the disease.

"We must also reinforce research and increase surveillance so that each country is able to detect Ebola virus and take care of patients," he recommended.

Mboup called for regional efforts, especially from West Africa's political and scientific authorities, to curb the spread of the disease. Endi