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UK ebola vaccine trials begin
vaccine
The ebola outbreak in West Africa has caused more than 1,200 deaths.
Human trials fast-tracked due to West Africa epidemic

Trials of an experimental ebola vaccine are to begin in the UK. Human trials have been fast-tracked due to the current ebola outbreak in West Africa that has killed more than 1,200 people.

A group of 60 volunteers will be injected with the vaccine, which has been developed by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and the US National Institutes of Health (NIH).

The trial is being led by the Jenner Institute in Oxford. It aims to determine whether the vaccine causes unforeseen side effects and gives a good immune response to the ebola virus.

Professor Hill, director of the Jenner Institute, said: "The tragic events unfolding in Africa demand an urgent response. In recent years, similar investigational vaccines have safely immunised infants and adults against a range of diseases including malaria, HIV and hepatitis C.

"We, and all our partners on this project, are optimistic that this candidate vaccine may prove useful against ebola."

If the trials are successful, 10,000 doses will be manufactured and made available for an emergency immunisation programme in high risk areas.

Pre-clinical research involving non-human primates suggests the vaccine offers promising protection and no significant side effects.

The vaccine is against the Zaire species of ebola which is circulating West Africa. It uses a single benign ebola virus protein, meaning it cannot cause a person injected with the vaccine to become infected with ebola as it does not contain infectious virus material.

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Cold-water dip to raise funds for Vetlife

News Story 1
 The veterinary mental health charity Vetlife is inviting the veterinary community to join it for a sponsored cold-water dip.

The event will take place at Walpole Bay, Margate, on 17 May during Mental Health Awareness Week. Participants of all abilities can join in the challenge and are advised to bring a towel, a hot drink, a snack, and warm clothes to get changed into afterwards.

Those taking part are being asked to try to raise £100 each to support the work of the charity.

Details about how to take part can be found here. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
Bluetongue low vector period ends

In an update to its bluetongue guidance, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has announced that the seasonal low vector period for the disease has ended.

With winter over, Defra is planning for a possible increase in cases as midges become more active. It has warned that farms along the east coast of England from Norfolk to Kent, and along the south coast from Kent to Devon, are at highest risk from infected midges blown over from northern Europe.

Since the virus was detected in England in November 2023, there have been 126 confirmed cases. The most recent case to be confirmed was on 1 March 2024.

Farmers are asked to continue to frequently monitor their livestock and ensure their animals and land are registered with the Animal and Plant Health Agency.