Sierra Leone has shut down its Ebola vaccine study
over a year since it started, an official said on Monday.
Dr Mohammed Samai, the chief investigator in the
joint trial that involved the United States Centers for Diseases Prevention and
Control, said the trial hosted at the main Connaught Hospital in Freetown had
enrolled nearly 9000 participants but that only about 8500 people were
vaccinated.
The official did not say why the remaining people
enrolled were not vaccinated, not did he give further details on the key findings.
He said apart from the normal vaccine related side
effects, there were no serious side effects discovered as a result of the
trial. Dr Samai also said the study had equipped the university so that it can
handle any similar future situation. This is the first major joint study the College
of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences has, a constituent of the University of
Sierra Leone, has embarked on.
“In the near future, if we want to undertake any
clinical trial, we know exactly where to start,” Dr Samai, who is also the
Provost of the medical college, said.
