New drugs not the only answer to Ebola epidemic

While the desire to develop drugs and vaccines are appealing and may help save lives, strengthening health systems in developing countries to make better use of existing tools is as important in combating diseases like ebola, writes Celine Gounder.

EXPERTS will be meeting this week at the World Health Organisation to discuss the role of new drugs and vaccines to help control the ebola epidemic in West Africa.

Last month, the WHO said it is ethical to provide experimental drugs and vaccines for ebola, but that there is also a “moral duty” to conduct clinical trials of these experimental drugs and vaccines to determine whether they’re safe and effective.