Ebola vaccine testing to start by early December

Large-scale testing of ebola vaccines could begin in West Africa as early as December, one month earlier than previously planned, the World Health Organization (WHO) says.

"This shows how everything is really being pushed forward," says senior WHO official Marie Paule Kieny.

Between 20 000 and 30 000 people are expected to take part in trials in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea designed to test the safety and effectiveness of two recently developed vaccines.

If the results are positive, mass vaccinations could start in the second half of the year, for which pharmaceutical companies are planning to make available several 100 000 doses, according to Kieny.