Skip to main content
  • U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
National Institutes of Health (NIH) - Turning Discovery into Health
  • Virtual Tour
  • En Español

Site Menu

  • Home
  • Health Information
    • Health Care Providers & Facilities
    • Health Info Lines
    • HealthCare.gov
    • Science Education Resources
    • NIH Clinical Research Trials and You
    • Talking to Your Doctor

    More »

    Quick Links

    • MedlinePlus Health Info
    • NIH News in Health
    • Wellness Toolkits
  • Grants & Funding
    • Grants Home Page
    • Find Funding
    • Due Dates
    • How to Apply
    • About Grants
    • Policy & Compliance
    • Grants News/Blog
    • Contracts
    • Loan Repayment

    More »

    Quick Links

    • RePORT
    • eRA Commons
    • NIH Common Fund
  • News & Events
    • News Releases
    • Digital Media Kits
    • Media Resources
    • Media Contacts
    • Images and B-roll
    • Events
    • Social Media

    More »

    Quick Links

    • NIH News in Health
    • NIH Research Matters
    • NIH Record
  • Research & Training
    • Medical Research Initiatives
    • Science Highlights
    • Science Education
    • Research in NIH Labs & Clinics
    • Training Opportunities
    • Library Resources
    • Research Resources
    • Clinical Research Resources
    • Safety, Regulation and Guidance

    More »

    Quick Links

    • PubMed
    • Stem Cell Information
    • OppNet
    • NIDB
    • NIH Blueprint for Neuroscience Research
  • Institutes at NIH
    • List of Institutes and Centers
    • NIH Office of the Director
    • Directors of NIH Institutes and Centers
    • NIH Institute and Center Contact Information

    More »

    Quick Links

    • NCI
    • NEI
    • NHLBI
    • NHGRI
    • NIA
    • NIAAA
    • NIAID
    • NIAMS
    • NIBIB
    • NICHD
    • NIDCD
    • NIDCR
    • NIDDK
    • NIDA
    • NIEHS
    • NIGMS
    • NIMH
    • NIMHD
    • NINDS
    • NINR
    • NLM
    • CC
    • CIT
    • CSR
    • FIC
    • NCATS
    • NCCIH
  • About NIH
    • Who We Are
    • What We Do
    • Jobs at NIH
    • Visitor Information
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Contact Us

    More »

    Quick Links

    • The NIH Director
    • Take the Virtual Tour
    • NIH…Turning Discovery Into Health®
    • Impact of NIH Research
    • Science, Health, and Public Trust

You are here

Home » News & Events » News Releases

News Releases

Media Advisory

Wednesday, December 14, 2022

Ebola vaccine regimens safe, immunogenic in adults and children

Ebola Virus Particles Colorized scanning electron micrograph of Ebola virus particles (green) both budding and attached to the surface of infected VERO E6 cells (orange). NIAID

What

Two randomized, placebo-controlled trials evaluating three Ebola vaccine administration strategies in adults and children found that all the regimens were safe in both age groups, according to results published today in the New England Journal of Medicine. Antibodies were produced in response to the vaccine regimens beginning at 14 days after the first vaccination and continued to be detectable at varying levels—depending on the vaccine and regimen used—in both children and adults for one year. The study enrolled volunteers at sites in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Mali to identify optimal vaccination strategies to curtail outbreaks of Ebola virus disease.

The trials were conducted under the Partnership for Research on Ebola Vaccination (PREVAC) international consortium. PREVAC’s partner organizations include the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of NIH, sponsored the trial in Liberia and Mali. In Liberia, the study was done in collaboration with the Liberia Ministry of Health through the Partnership for Research on Ebola Virus in Liberia program. In Mali, it was conducted in collaboration with the University Clinical Research Center and the Center for Vaccine Development-Mali.

The trials began enrollment in 2017, were conducted simultaneously and shared a placebo arm. A total of 1,400 adults and 1,401 children aged 1 year to 17 years old were randomized to receive two injections of either placebo or Ebola vaccine in one of three regimens. The Ebola vaccine regimens were Ad26.ZEBOV (supplied by Johnson & Johnson) followed eight weeks later with a booster dose of MVA-BN-Filo vaccine (supplied by manufacturer Bavarian Nordic); two doses of rVSVΔG-ZEBOV-GP (manufactured by Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp) separated by eight weeks; or one dose of the Merck vaccine followed eight weeks later by a placebo injection.

Antibody responses were observed by day 14 after the first injection of either Ad26.ZEBOV or rVSVΔG-ZEBOV-GP vaccine. The researchers say this finding is notable because vaccines against Ebola virus disease are typically administered during an outbreak and so information about how rapidly a vaccine produces an antibody effect is of potential use in efforts to protect at-risk populations. However, it is not currently known what level of antibody response reliably correlates with vaccine-induced protection against Ebola virus infection or disease. As no participants contracted Ebola virus disease during the trial, the investigators were not able to assess protection from disease.

The researchers cite several strengths of the trials, including outstanding retention of volunteers throughout the course of trial, achieved with continuing community engagement and ongoing trust-building efforts.

Article

M Kieh et al. Randomized trial of vaccines for Ebola virus disease. New England Journal of Medicine. DOI:10.1056/NEJMoa2200072 (2022).

Who

H. Clifford Lane, M.D., director, Division of Clinical Research, NIAID, and member of the PREVAC study team, is available to discuss the trial findings.

Contact

To schedule interviews, please contact NIAID Office of Communications, (301) 402-1663, NIAIDNews@niaid.nih.gov.

Additional information about the trial can be on ClinicalTrials.gov under the identifier NCT02876328.

NIAID conducts and supports research—at NIH, throughout the United States, and worldwide—to study the causes of infectious and immune-mediated diseases, and to develop better means of preventing, diagnosing and treating these illnesses. News releases, fact sheets and other NIAID-related materials are available on the NIAID website.

About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.

NIH…Turning Discovery Into Health®

###

Institute/Center

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)

Contact

NIAID Office of Communications
301-402-1663

Connect with Us

  • Subscribe to news releases
  • RSS Feed

Connect with Us

  • Contact Us
  • X
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • Flickr
  • More Social Media from NIH

Footer

  • NIH Home
  • Virtual Tour
  • En Español
  • Visitor Information
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimers
  • Accessibility
  • NIH Website Archives
  • Nondiscrimination Notice
  • Freedom of Information Act
  • No Fear Act
  • HHS Vulnerability Disclosure
  • Office of Inspector General
  • USA.gov

NIH…Turning Discovery Into Health®

National Institutes of Health, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, Maryland 20892

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Back to Top