Researchers work at Kenema Government Hospital in Sierra Leone. Health officials announced they are starting trials on a preliminary vaccine for Ebola.
The Ebola virus continues to spread, as the country of Senegal reports its first confirmed case of the deadly disease.
The Associated Press reports a Guinean student infected with Ebola traveled to Senegal for treatment this week. He told health officials he had been in contact with Ebola patients while in Guinea and was placed under quarantine. T
he Ebola outbreak in West Africa began in Guinea last year. Since then, the disease has spread to countries, including Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Nigeria. As of right now, at least 3,000 people have contracted the disease, and 1,500 have died.
The World Health Organization has warned that the disease could infect up to 20,000 people, and they are working on a plan to stop the illness in its track over the next few months. The virus is spread through bodily fluids and there is currently no cure.
Meanwhile in the U.S., health officials announced this week that the first human trial of an experimental Ebola vaccine will get underway next week. USA Today reports the vaccine will involve 20 healthy volunteers at the campus of the National Institutes of Health in Maryland. Drug giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) will co-develop the vaccine. The vaccine is being designed to protect against two strains of the Ebola virus, known as the Zaire and Sudan species. The Zaire strain is responsible for the outbreak in West Africa. Another U.S. vaccine study will test a vaccine that protects against just the Zaire strain of the virus. That trial will also use volunteers and is expected to get underway in October.