European commission gives green light to first Ebola vaccine

An image showing a man receiving a vaccine against Ebola

Source: © Pamela Tulizo/AFP/Getty Images

Drug shown to be effective and safe following clinical trials involving 16,000 people

The European commission has approved Merck’s ervebo vaccine to help to prevent the spread of Ebola. Ervebo was developed in response to the 2014 outbreak that affected several countries in West Africa, resulting in more than 11,000 deaths. It is the result of an international research effort, with financial backing from numerous public health bodies.