New ebola outbreak in Congo: Can vaccines prevent an epidemic?

The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed a new ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) Bas Uele Province on May 12, just over a week since it celebrated the collective effort that created the rVSV Zebov-GP vaccine. Since the world now has a vaccine for the deadly virus that took thousands of lives, some may believe that the spread of the disease would be cut short. However, can vaccines really prevent an epidemic from happening in the future? Let’s take a closer look. The rVSV Zebov-GP ebola vaccine The ebola vaccine came forth from the combined effort of WHO, governments, health workers, international and local scientists, and private and public funding organizations. Of course, it would not have seen a successful clinical trial without the people who consented to test the vaccine. The rVSV Zebov-GP vaccine offers 100 percent protection against the disease for people who live in close contact with ebola...