First UK volunteer injected with experimental Ebola vaccine

A woman in Oxford has become the first UK volunteer to be injected with an experimental Ebola vaccine, which, if it were to work would be fast-tracked for use in west Africa, The Guardian reported.

The untested vaccine had already gone into mass production, with some 10,000 doses being under manufacture at the UK drug company GlaxoSmithKline, funded by the Wellcome Trust and the UK government.

In case the vaccine proves effective, supplies could be available to protect thousands of health workers in west Africa, who would be its first recipients.

Nobody wanted a repeat of the ZMapp experience which had only a dozen doses of the experimental drug and, that were administered to foreign medical and aid workers drawing much controversy.

The first UK volunteer, Ruth Atkins, 48, is a communications and engagement manager in the NHS from Marcham in Oxfordshire and a former nurse. She heard on the radio that Oxford University researchers needed volunteers for a vaccine trial run.

She said she volunteered because the situation in west Africa was so tragic and she thought being part of this vaccination process was something small she could do to hopefully make a huge impact.

Atkins was moved to become part of the trial process at Oxford University by the "tragic" outbreak unfolding in West Africa.

If the £2.8 million fast-track trial - involving 60 healthy volunteers aged 18 to 50 proves to be  successful, the vaccine could be used to immunise health care workers within months and in infected communities by early next year, mirror.co.uk reported.

Atkins said she did not realise until yesterday how many people behind the scene had worked extra and unsociable hours to get this to trial so quickly.

After she received the injection in her upper arm, Atkins was observed by researchers for any reaction to the test drug.

She said she felt absolutely fine, and it felt no different to being vaccinated before going on holiday.

The vaccine has only a small amount of protein from the virus to make the body produce antibodies, so it cannot cause the disease.

Normal human trials are likely to take years before the approval of a new vaccine for use.