Experts say the world cannot ease up on efforts to fully develop Ebola vaccines.

Although the World Health Organization (WHO) this week ended the global health emergency over Ebola, the world cannot ease up on efforts to maximize development of Ebola vaccines and prepare for the next outbreak, according to an expert panel.

A report today by the Ebola Vaccine Team B comes a little over a year after its first report, which detailed desirable qualities to seek in as-yet undeveloped vaccines and included a host of recommendations for quickly responding to the then-accelerating crisis.

Since that time a vaccine produced by Merck has demonstrated impressive efficacy in clinical trials, and other vaccines have advanced well along the clinical trial pathway. But no vaccine has yet been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration or other regulatory body, the experts point out in their report, and public health officials must not grow complacent until one or more vaccines are advanced enough to stockpile and respond to the next Ebola epidemic.

Source: Expert panel urges no letup on Ebola vaccine progress | CIDRAP