Ebola vaccine won’t come without taking some risks

The current West African Ebola virus outbreak, which has now reached more than 1,000 cases and resulted in more than 800 deaths, is a reminder of the often unpredictable nature of viruses and the difficulties in finding and developing vaccines and antivirals. The outbreak appears to have focused efforts. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the US, said human trials for a vaccine will start in September with a potential vaccine ready by July. His comments come after two infected US doctors were reportedly treated with a serum, believed to be a monoclonal antibody administered under an FDA compassionate exemption that allows drugs to be used outside clinical trial. But even in the case of Ebola virus, it has taken nearly 40 years to get this far (partly due to a lack of funding from pharmaceutical companies) and there is no guarantee that these treatments will be...