The Africa Centres for Disease Control accused international health agencies of a general disinterest in developing a vaccine for the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, claiming they viewed the virus as an African problem.
Speaking on Channels Television on Thursday, Jean Kaseya, director-general of Africa CDC, said Western countries were exploiting the absence of Ebola outbreaks in their territories to avoid investing in a vaccine for the variant.
“If this outbreak was in Western countries, vaccines will already be available,” Mr Kaseya said on Thursday.
“Why the vaccine today is not available is because some of our partners, they decided to consider this issue as an African issue. They were not interested,” Mr Kaseya said.
Mr Kaseya said the Africa CDC was working with a manufacturer in Egypt to conduct clinical trials for a vaccine.
“We don’t want to see Africa left behind,” he said.
The World Health Organisation and Africa CDC, on Thursday, confirmed that there is no vaccine to cure the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus disease diagnosed in Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo and other parts of Africa.
The deadly strain has killed over 4,500 people across the DR Congo, Uganda and most recently, Kenya.
During a webinar on Thursday, the WHO stated that there was no known cure for the vaccine yet but that clinical trials were ongoing to develop a vaccine.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control has identified the female Ebola patient as a diplomat but withheld her identity. The NCDC said she was in a critical condition after suffering multiple organ failures.
Mr Kaseya disclosed the patient was born in Uganda and the WHO said she travelled to the East African nation since September 16.
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