Ebola vaccine from Winnipeg gives local African community hope

An experimental Ebolavaccine developedin Winnipeg appears to be so effective in trials it has scientists with the World Health Organization (WHO) saying it could revolutionizethe fight against the deadly disease. That hasinstilledhopefor many in Winnipeg's African community.

By this time we were thinking that this vaccine would have been up and running- IsmailYumkella

"If proven effective, this will be a game-changer," said Dr. Margaret Chan, directorgeneral of the WHO, which sponsored the trial."It will change the management of the current Ebola outbreak and future outbreaks."

Preliminary analysis of therVSV-Ebolavaccine, developed by scientists inCanada's National Microbiology lab in Winnipeg, found2,014 vaccinated subjects in a trial in West Africa showed no signs of the Ebola virus 10 days after vaccination.

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The vaccinewastested onmore than 4,000 peoplewho had been in close contact with a confirmed Ebola case in Guinea.Of those who received the vaccine within 10 days of being identified as an Ebola contact, there were no cases of the disease. That compared with 16 cases in more than 3,500 people who received theshot after 10 days.

Winnipeg Africans hopeful

News of thebreakthrough is starting tospreadthrough Winnipeg's African community.IsmailYumkella, thechair of the African Communities of Manitoba Inc., said he isgladresearchers are making headway on the race to find anEbola vaccine,but frustrated by the pace.

"By this time we were thinking that this vaccine would have been up and running, and that people would have been benefiting from it already." said Yumkella."But we are happy Winnipeg has been on the front-line fight against Ebola.We welcome the news."

Yumkella is originally from Sierra Leone, one of severalAfrican countries ravaged by the virus. He said the Ebola outbreak has changed everything in West Africa, including the waypeople interact.

"People are not even shaking hands anymore. People are afraid to go out. People can't go about their daily lives. In fact, even as we speak there is still a state of emergency in our country," said Yumkella.

Researchers at the Winnipeg lab have been working on therVSV-Ebolavaccine for over a year.In March, clinical trials started in Guinea, Africa.

On Friday, the Public Health Agency of Canada thanked those involved in developing the vaccine.

"Canada's experimental vaccine is a product of Canadian innovation and hard work,"RonaAmbrose,Canada's Minister of Health, said in a statement.

"We are proud of the work done by Public Health Agency of Canada scientists that led to the development of the vaccine and hope that it can be used as a global resource to help save lives and end the outbreak in West Africa."

The WHO said further trials are needed to confirm the efficacy of the vaccine.Itcould still be awhile before the vaccine is licensed and made widely available.

Yumkell said he looks forwardto the day where he willbeing able to visit his home of Sierra Leone without fear of contracting the virus.

More than 11,000 people inGuinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia have diedsincetheepidemic began in Guinea in December 2013.