NIGERIA and the US intend to open an ebola medical laboratory and research centre in Abuja as part of a global fightback against the deadly virus which swept across West Africa recently killing over 10,000 people. 

Across the West African sub-region thousands of people died from the highly contagious ebola virus disease (EVD) that had no known cure, including nine in Nigeria, who came in contact with a visiting Liberian. Although several drugs have been tried, including the likes of Zmapp, in the main, they have been most successful on Caucasians, as none of them are suited to deal with melanin. 

Now that the spread of the virus has abated, Nigeria and the US have commenced collaboration in medical research, launching a test study in Abuja. This launch of the Ebola Vaccine Study Center in Abuja, coincided with the 10 years anniversary of partnership between the Ministry of Defence Health Implementation Programme and the United States Department of Defence Walter Reed Programme Nigeria. 

Opening the centre, the US ambassador to Nigeria James Entwistle said the US-Nigeria partnership will involve working with pharmaceutical companies. He added that it will include preparations to test vaccine candidates in Abuja as part of an international network through the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research’s Military HIV Programme. 

According to Ambassador Entwistle, the partnership is closely working with many regulatory bodies, ethics groups, federal entities and community boards in Nigeria to ensure that any such studies will be safe and contribute to the international effort to combat EVD. Nigeria's defence minister, General Aliyu Gusau represented by the minister of state for defence Colonel Austin Akobundu, said the move is a welcome development. 

He noted that this particular study is to build on the findings of the phase one trials of the vaccine and it will be harmless to those who are involved in the study. Col Akobundu said: “I am aware of the stringent and rigorous selection process that led to the emergence of the clinical research centre with support from the Defence Reference Laboratory Abuja as a site for the study.” 

Health minister Khaliru Alhassan, represented by the permanent secretary of the ministry Linus Awute, stated that there is need for all hands to be on deck to bridge the gap of knowledge, infrastructure and diseases between the developed and the developing countries. He pointed out that the developmental process and execution of the vaccine trial is of serious importance to the federal government because of the safety of participants.