The Canadian government will ship 800 vials of its experimental Ebola vaccine to the World Health Organization in Geneva beginning on Monday, the Public Health Agency of Canada said on Saturday. The WHO, in consultation with health authorities in the countries most affected by the outbreak of the disease, will decide on how the vaccine will be distributed and used, the agency said in a statement.
The vaccine is undergoing clinical trials at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in the United States, it said. The vials in the Canadian government's possession are being shipped via air from Winnipeg to the University Hospital of Geneva. Officials said the experimental vaccine will be sent in three separate shipments as a precautionary measure in case of an accident, such as a temperature control failure.
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