TEXTO:
Since the outbreak of the most recent Ebola
epidemic in West Africa, more than 11,000 people have
died and more than 15,000 people have been infected
with the virus. While some drug treatments have been
[5] marginally effective, no vaccine to protect against infection
has yet been developed, although a number are currently
being tested.
One of those, developed by the Public Health Agency
of Canada, showed early promise in 2015. Now, a new
[10] report published in the journal Lancet provides even more
encouraging results that suggest it may be the first
vaccine to prevent infection with Ebola.
The trial involved more than 11,000 people living
in Guinea. Once a case of Ebola was confirmed, a list of
[15] people who had come in contact with the patient was
compiled, and they were randomly assigned to either
receive the vaccine immediately or three weeks later. All
participants were tested for presence of Ebola. After 10
days, there were no cases of Ebola infection among those
[20] who were vaccinated, while 23 people were diagnosed
with Ebola in the group that did not receive the vaccine
immediately.
The positive results led the study organizers to
provide the vaccine to all people who had come in contact
[25] with Ebola patients. That included family members who
lived with patients and were exposed to their clothing or
linens, as well as the next ring of people who had
interacted with these contacts. Side effects from the
vaccine were relatively rare and included headache,
[30] muscle pain, fever and allergy to the drug.
More studies will be conducted on the people who
were vaccinated to see if their immune responses indeed
were boosted by the shot. If the positive results are
confirmed and repeated, the vaccine could play a critical
[35] role in stopping the Ebola epidemic and preventing future
outbreaks.
PARK, Alice. Disponível em: <time.com/4611239/ebola-vaccine-infectionvirus/>. Acesso em: 12 out. 2017. Adaptado.
As to a vaccine for Ebola, the author says that
