Study finds Ebola vaccine regimens safe, immunogenic in adults, children

Two randomized, placebo-controlled trials evaluating three Ebola vaccine administration strategies in adults and children found that all the regimens were safe in both age groups, according to a newly published study.

The study, published Wednesday in The New England Journal of Medicine, enrolled volunteers at sites in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Mali to identify optimal vaccination strategies to curtail outbreaks of Ebola virus disease.

Antibodies were produced in response to the vaccine regimens beginning at 14 days after the first vaccination and continued to be detectable at varying levels, according to the study.

The researchers said the finding is notable because vaccines against Ebola virus disease are typically administered during an outbreak, so information about how rapidly a vaccine produces an antibody effect is of potential use in efforts to protect at-risk populations.