Ebola vaccine trial begins in Uganda amid outbreak [Video]

Ugandan authorities launched on Monday a clinical trial of a vaccine against the Sudan strain of Ebola that has killed one nurse in the capital, Kampala. 

The 32-year-old male nurse died on Wednesday, and was confirmed to have had the Sudan strain through postmortem tests, Diana Atwine, permanent secretary of the health ministry, told reporters. 

The vaccine clinical trial is enrolling health workers and others who have been exposed to the virus.

On Jan. 30, Uganda declared an outbreak of Ebola. The total number of cases have now risen to three, with the two additional cases from the family of the deceased, Ministry of Health spokesperson Emmanuel Ainebyoona told Reuters late on Monday. Officials are investigating the source of the outbreak.

The World Health Organization is collaborating with Uganda’s Ministry of Health, the Uganda Virus Research Institute, and the Makerere University Lung Institute to conduct the trial of the vaccine, which was developed by Merck and provided …