Human tests for Ebola vaccines soon

The World Health Organization (WHO) says the two leading Ebola vaccines appear safe and will soon be tested in healthy volunteers in West Africa.

After an expert meeting this week, WHO said there is now enough information to conclude that the two most advanced Ebola vaccines — one made by GlaxoSmithKline and the other licensed by Merck and NewLink — have “an acceptable safety profile.”

In a press briefing on Friday, Dr. Marie-Paule Kieny, who heads WHO’s Ebola vaccine efforts, said “the cupboard [for Ebola vaccines] is filling up rapidly.”