CANADIAN VACCINE BEGINS HUMAN TESTING

TORONTO— Human testing of an experimental Canadian- made Ebola vaccine began Monday, with federal officials saying the drug could be shipped to West Africa within months if it proves successful.

Health Minister Rona Ambrose said the launch of the vaccine’s first clinical trial marks a promising step in the global campaign to contain the virus, which the World Health Organization says has killed more than 4,000 people, mostly in the West African countries of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.

Twenty vials of the vaccine have been sent to the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in Maryland for testing on about 40 healthy volunteers, she said.

The Phase 1 trial will determine if the vaccine created by Public Health Agency of Canada and known as VSVEBOV is safe for human use.

Studies have shown the vaccine works in primates both to prevent infection when given before exposure and to increase survival chances when given quickly after exposure.

Canada’s chief public health officer said results from the human trial are expected by December, and if successful, the next stage would be to test it in a larger human sample, including those directly handling Ebola cases in West Africa.