Alexander Gintsburg, the scientific director of the Gamaleya National Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology, reported that the Russian vaccine, previously developed by the center, provides protection against the rare Bundybugyo strain.
According to him, the Russian vaccine against the Ebola virus, previously developed by experts at the center, is likely to be able to provide protection against the rare Bundibugyo Ebola virus strain, which is now spreading in Africa.
He says: “The degree of genetic similarity between this strain and the vaccine strain reaches 60-70 percent, so doctors working in infection hotspots should be protected not only with personal protective equipment, but also with the vaccine. I believe it can provide immunity against this virus, although we have not conducted tests on it. If no other means are available, it should be used.”
He notes that a vaccine specifically for the Bundibugyo strain is needed, but the institute does not have a sample of it.
The World Health Organization has classified the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda as a "public health emergency of international concern." According to the organization, the situation is exacerbated by the fact that not the most common Ebola strain, Zaire, is actively spreading, but rather the rare Bundibugyo strain, for which there are currently no approved drugs or vaccines.
