Human testing begins with Canadian-made Ebola vaccine

HALIFAX – Hundreds of people have reached out to the IWK Health Centre to participate in the Ebola vaccine study. The clinical trial, taking place in Halifax, will test the right dosage and assess side effects of the vaccine.

On Thursday, the firsts of the 40 participants chosen to test the Canadian-developed Ebola vaccine received the shot. University student, Emily Sollows, is one of them.

“Everyone thinks I’m crazy,” said Sollows. “My family was so angry at me that I decided to do it, but I did a lot of research and I just wanted to be a part of the experiment.”

This vaccine is made up of a virus called Vesicular Stomatitis virus, or VSV. Participants can’t get infected by the Ebola virus from the vaccine, but there is a possibility they may become infected with VSV.

A quarter of the participants will be receiving placebos, or inert injections, while others will be getting one of three different doses of the vaccine.

Sollows says she’s not worried. She says she’s mostly curious about the process and wants to be part of the fight against Ebola.

“It’s new for the hospital, it’s new for the nurses, everyone is new at it, and to me it’s just great to be part of that,” said Sollows.

The 22-year-old has already undergone two screening visits, and after Thursday’s vaccination, she’ll have to make 8 follow-up visits at the IWK Health Centre.

“They just do basic tests, they take some blood samples and what not, and check my vitals signs and I have to keep a diary as well, just to make sure that I don’t have a fever or whatnot,” explained Sollows.

All samples taken are processed at the IWK lab, then sent to the National Microbiology Lab in Winnipeg for analysis. Researchers say they don’t expect any severe reactions to the vaccine, the safety results are expected by the end of December.

In total, participants will make 11 visits to the IWK Health Centre over the next six months, and will each receive $1,125 for their time.