Liberia has begun the first-ever large-scale Ebola vaccine trials

(Image credit: John Moore/Getty Images)

On Monday, Liberia began the first large-scale trials of two experimental Ebola vaccines. Scientists in Liberia plan to immunize 30,000 volunteers and healthcare workers with the new drugs.

The trial that began on Monday included injecting the volunteers with a strain of the Ebola virus to trick their bodies into developing immune responses. But scientists aren't sure whether the trial vaccines will be effective against Ebola. Monday's test involves 12 volunteers, and more volunteers will be given the vaccine as the trial continues.

More than 8,500 people have died in the Ebola outbreak, including 3,600 in Liberia alone. If successful, the new trials may reveal the first preventive vaccine against the disease.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Continue reading for free

We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.

Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.

Meghan DeMaria

Meghan DeMaria is a staff writer at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked for USA Today and Marie Claire.