A Vaccine Trial Against The Sudan Ebola Variant... Will Be Mothballed, For Lack Of Enrollment. And... That's The Good News.

Well. . . in my estimation, last week, the President of Uganda prematurely declared the outbreak at an end. That won't come, based on WHO guidelines, until December 26 at the absolute earliest. However, it is true that the overall narrative arc is. . . encouraging, here at Christmas time.

Here's the latest, from Science magazine:

. . .A planned clinical trial of vaccines against the Sudan ebolavirus likely will not go forward, after traditional containment methods appear to have arrested the outbreak of Ebola that surfaced in Uganda on 20 September. An international effort moved at record speed to deliver two experimental vaccines against the virus, which differs from the Zaire ebolavirus that caused the massive West Africa outbreak in 2014–16.

The vaccines arrived in Uganda last week, and a third is on the way. But the planned “ring trial” depended on vaccinating recent contacts of people with confirmed Sudan ebolavirus infections. The last known case in Uganda left the hospital 3 weeks ago, and the number of contacts still eligible for the trial has dwindled.

As of 15 December, Uganda had recorded 77 confirmed and probable deaths from the outbreak. A statement from the World Health Organization (WHO) said Makerere University is ready to lead the ring trial if new cases emerge. WHO plans to consult with experts in January 2023 on other potential studies of the vaccines. . . .

Now you know -- onward, feeling it, for the people trapped in the upper midwest, and east -- and even Music City. . . in an icy / blustery deep freeze / bombogenesis. Damnation.

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