Africa Ebola outbreak: Africa is once again facing the great threat of Ebola virus. This time the cause for concern is the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which no approved vaccine is available yet. The rapidly increasing cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda have alerted health agencies around the world. According to reports, hundreds of suspected cases have been reported and many people have also died. The biggest concern is that this virus is now reaching densely populated areas, due to which the risk of spreading to other countries has also increased.
The World Health Organization (WHO) and Africa CDC have considered this situation a serious health emergency. As of now, it is not clear how much effect the vaccine for the Jere strain of Ebola will have on the Bundibugyo strain. For this reason, the world is now busy in the race to prepare a new vaccine.
India has a big role in the race to make vaccine
In this difficult time, India’s big vaccine company Serum Institute of India is going to play an important role. This Pune-based company is preparing to make a new vaccine in collaboration with Oxford University and CEPI. This vaccine will be based on the ChAdOx platform, which was also used in the Covishield vaccine during Covid-19. Serum Institute says that it already has such technology and machines with the help of which vaccine doses can be prepared in a very short time.
According to the company, if everything goes well, initial production can be started within 20 to 30 days. Just as India had given a large quantity of vaccines to the world during the Covid pandemic, similarly India can now emerge as a reliable partner in the Ebola crisis too. Besides, it also shows the medical and biotech strength of India.
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Challenge of time and security before scientists
At present, the biggest challenge facing scientists is time. Two vaccine candidates are being worked on for the Bundibugyo strain. The first is based on rVSV technology, which uses the same technology as the already existing Ervebo vaccine, but its problem is that its dose is not yet available and it may take several months to prepare. On the other hand, the specialty of ChAdOx platform is its fast production capacity because it has been used on a large scale during the time of Covid, hence its factory system is already ready. However, it also has a weakness. Till now, this vaccine has not been fully tested against Bundibugyo virus on animals or humans. In such a situation, health agencies will have to take a very careful decision whether to give priority to speedy testing or wait for a longer trial. This decision can decide the safety of millions of people in the future.
India became the hope of the world
This Ebola crisis spreading in Africa is a warning to the whole world that the epidemic can come back any time. Additionally, it becomes even more difficult to prevent disease in areas suffering from conflict and poverty. At such a time, India’s entry has emerged as a new ray of hope. If Serum Institute and its partners are successful in preparing a safe and effective vaccine soon, it can save the lives of thousands of people. At the same time, it will be proved that India has the ability to help not only in its own health crisis but also in the health crisis of the entire world. The next few months will be very important, because they will decide how quickly the world can stop this new Ebola threat.
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