Glasgow Ebola Vaccine Follow-up Study
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Glasgow Ebola Vaccine Follow-up Study
IRAS ID
193228
Contact name
Emma C Thomson
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
The outbreak of Ebola virus disease (EVD) in West Africa between 2014 and 2015 has occurred on an unprecedented scale with at least 28,490 people infected and 11,312 deaths (source: CDC http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/outbreaks/history/chronology.html). Amongst those infected are a number of healthcare workers who volunteered to assist with healthcare in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia. Several of these healthcare workers (HCW) have subsequently become infected with Ebola virus disease (EVD), one of whom returned to the UK and was diagnosed with EVD on arrival to Glasgow in December 2014. The HCW was treated and made a full recovery. In October 2015, however, the patient presented to hospital with meningoencephalitis and was found to have Ebola virus present both in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and blood. This phenomenon has never previously been reported. The unprecedented nature of the presentation meant that 62 local HCWs and family members were exposed to bodily fluids, resulting in a significant risk of developing infection themselves (secondary cases). The emergency Incident Management Team (IMT) consisting of members of Health Protection Scotland, Public Health England, the Scottish government and local and national infectious diseases experts made a decision to offer those at highest risk of infection (26 individuals) vaccination with an unlicensed live vaccine (rVSV-EBOV) currently in development by Merck and provided free of charge by the World Health Organisation. This vaccine was recently trialled (phase III) in Guinea using a ring vaccination strategy previously employed to eradicate smallpox (this involves vaccination of secondary contacts and tertiary and quaternary contacts of contacts). The vaccine was found to provide 100% protection from 6 days after vaccination. We now wish to follow up those who were vaccinated to assess immunogenicity (the immune response to the vaccine) and side effects related to the vaccine.
REC name
West of Scotland REC 1
REC reference
15/WS/0251
Date of REC Opinion
16 Oct 2015
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion