News: Healthy volunteer to be injected with Ebola vaccine in the UK

The first healthy human volunteer will today be injected with an experimental Ebola vaccine as part of a fast-tracked British trial.

The organisers of the trial gave no indication of the person's gender or age and said the planned injection day was subject to change. 

The trial, which will ultimately involve 60 volunteers, is part of a series of safety tests of potential drugs aimed at preventing infection with the virus.

Organisers stressed there is no likelihood any of the subjects will catch Ebola, since the vaccine contains no infectious Ebola virus. 

The vaccine is designed to specifically target the Zaire species of the virus - the one responsible for the current epidemic.

The strain has a mortality rate of up to 90 per cent, according to the World Health Organisation. 

The volunteers are not at risk of catching Ebola by taking part in the trial, as the only component is a gene for a protein that sits on the virus's surface - a protein which does not cause the illness. 

The aim is to complete tests by the end of the this year, after which vaccines could be deployed on an emergency basis.

GSK said it plans to begin making up to around 10,000 additional doses of the vaccine as the initial clinical trials get underway.

If successful, it would mean the vaccine could be made available immediately for an emergency immunisation programme.  

Dr Jeremy Farrar, Director of the Wellcome Trust, said: 'This epidemic has shown how difficult it can be to control Ebola.

'How useful drugs and vaccines might be in complementing existing public health interventions can only be assessed in epidemics. 

'The initial safety work we're announcing today with our international partners will hopefully make that possible during this crisis and for inevitable future epidemics.'

UK International Development Secretary Justine Greening added: 'We are co-funding these important clinical trials to find a safe vaccine for Ebola as well as providing critical care on the ground.

'Britain is a world leader in medical research and mobilising our unique strengths to find a vaccine could be pivotal to containing Ebola and preventing future outbreaks.'  

The first healthy human volunteer has been injected with an experimental Ebola vaccine today as part of a fast-tracked British trial.

Ruth Atkins, a 48-year-old NHS communications manager from Marcham, Oxfordshire, was injected at Oxford's Vaccine Group Centre for Clinical Vaccinology and Tropical Medicine today.

The trial, which will ultimately involve 60 volunteers including two on Friday, is part of a series of safety tests of potential drugs aimed at preventing infection with the virus.

Organisers stressed there is no likelihood any of the subjects will catch Ebola, since the vaccine contains no infectious Ebola virus. 

Ms Atkins, who has also worked as a nurse in the NHS, said: 'I feel absolutely fine, it felt no different to being vaccinated before going on holiday.: It's that one step and I'm part of that first step.

She has children aged 12 and 15 and was only accepted for the trial on Monday after completing screening tests last week.

Ms Atkins, who will keep a diary of her side effects over the next eight weeks and undergo regular blood tests, said she first heard about the trial while listening to the radio.

'I volunteered because the situation in West Africa is so tragic and I thought being part of this vaccination process was something small I could do to hopefully make a huge impact,' she said.

'I did not realise until today how many people behind the scenes have worked extra and unsociable hours to get this to trial so quickly.