[AnNahar] U.S. pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson said Tuesday that it has started human trials on a possible vaccine against Ebola.The Phase I testing is being carried out by the Oxford Vaccine Group at Britannia's Oxford University.
The tests, involving 72 healthy volunteers, will examine how their bodies tolerate the potential vaccine.
Johnson & Johnson said at the end of October it would spend up to $200 million to speed up and expand its Ebola vaccine program.
The company hopes to move on to studies on large groups of patients by April.
It said it has already produced more than 400,000 doses, and two million courses will be ready by the end of the year.
If necessary, Johnson & Johnson said it can make five million doses within 12 to 18 months.
The worst Ebola outbreak on record has killed 8,153 people over the past year. Liberia has seen the highest fatality rate with 3,471 deaths, followed by Sierra Leone and Guinea.
U.S. to Remove Mali from Ebola Airport Screening List
[AnNahar] Travelers coming to the United States from Mali will no longer be required to undergo extra screening at selected airports for potential exposure to Ebola, U.S. authorities said Monday.
On Tuesday, the West African nation will mark 42 days -- or two full incubation cycles -- since the last Ebola patient in Mali had contact with anyone who was not wearing protective gear, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
Mali had just two cases of Ebola, and both patients recovered.
"On Tuesday, January 6, 2015, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will remove Mali from the list of Ebola-affected nations subject to enhanced visa and port-of-entry screening, a statement said.
"Travelers from Mali will no longer be required to undergo enhanced screening and monitoring when entering the United States, nor will they be required to enter the country through the five designated airports that perform this screening."
Schools in Ebola-Hit Liberia to Reopen in February
[AnNahar] Schools in Ebola-ravaged Liberia will reopen in February, six months after they were closed in a bid to contain the spread of the killer virus, the education ministry said Monday.
"We ask all schools to take the necessary measures for the reopening of schools next semester, which is February," the ministry said in a statement read out on the radio.
"All schools have to get equipped with chlorine water, thermometers, and all have to put in place all measures recommended by the health ministry for the prevention of the virus," it added.
The move comes as Liberia, one of three west African countries at the epicentre of the current Ebola outbreak, has seen a steady decrease in new cases in recent weeks.
In another piece of good news for Liberia, the country's football federation announced the resumption of competitive matches.
Musa Bility, the president of the Liberian Football Association, said the ban was lifted "with immediate effect" but he urged players to keep in mind preventative measures to halt the spread of Ebola.
President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf on July 30 ordered all schools to close their doors to contain the epidemic.