Ebola vaccine cuts fatality even in people who were infected before the jab, new study shows

A new study has shown that people vaccinated against Ebola who still developed the disease had a substantially lower risk of dying than people who were not vaccinated, even if they received the vaccine when they were already infected with the virus. It confirms just how major an advancement the Ebola vaccine remains; the study is the first to show that in addition to preventing infections, the vaccine can save some people who are already sick with the often fatal disease. The research, based on data from the massive 2018-2020 Ebola Zaire outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, showed that the risk of dying of Ebola was halved among people who had been vaccinated with a single dose of Merck’s Ervebo before developing symptoms — including those who had only received the vaccine a day or two before becoming ill. While that is not enough time for the immune system...