Volunteers complain of fever and muscle pain
A clinical trial of an Ebola vaccine has been temporarily halted as a precautionary measure after four patients complained of fever and muscle pain, the University of Geneva announced on Thursday (December 11).
In a statement, the hospital said: "All of these volunteers are in good health and are being monitored regularly by the team in charge of the study."
The hospital say that the reactions were expected and the participants were informed about them during the medical consultation which took place before their inclusion in the study.
The trials are set to resume again on 5 January, after checks to ensure that the joint pain symptoms in hands and feet are "benign and transient."
Scientists are racing to develop Ebola vaccines after the world's worst outbreak of the virus has killed more than 6,000 people in West Africa so far this year.
59 volunteers have been vaccinated so far in the human safety trials in Geneva, which began in November. The hospital says that initial results from the trials show that the vaccination is very well tolerated.
Similar studies are also underway in the United States, Canada, Germany and Gabon.
Defra has published guidance for the vet sector ahead of a proposed UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary agreement.
