Russia already has preliminary vaccine candidates against the new Ebola virus strain, Health Minister Mikhail Murashko told an international security forum. He added that the country can move from diagnosis to vaccine development in very short timeframes, RIA Novosti reported.
Murashko also noted that Russia is the only country to possess so-called “vaccine preserves” in its arsenal. “We can adapt any of our existing vaccine platforms to develop a preventative drug for any challenge,” the minister explained.
The statement comes amid an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda. On 17 May, the World Health Organization declared the Bundibugyo strain outbreak a public health emergency of international concern. According to the latest WHO data, the total number of suspected cases has exceeded 900, with 82 laboratory-confirmed cases and seven confirmed deaths linked to the infection. Earlier reports had mentioned 177 fatalities that may be linked to the outbreak.
Earlier this month, Alexander Gintsburg, scientific director of the Gamaleya Centre, suggested that Russia’s existing Ebola vaccine might also protect against the new strain, as the genetic similarity is about 60‑70%. At the same time, Gintsburg stressed the need to develop a dedicated vaccine – but the institute does not yet have a sample of the pathogen.
Two Ebola vaccines developed by the Gamaleya Centre are registered in Russia: GamEvac, an adenoviral vector vaccine, and GamEvac‑Combi, a combined two‑dose vector vaccine. In addition, the Vector Centre registered a vaccine called EpiVacEbola in 2018.