(VOVworld) - A newly developed vaccine against the deadly Ebola virus is "highly effective" and could help prevent its spread in the current and future outbreaks.

An Ebola survivor participated in a study in Monrovia, Liberia on July 17  (photo: cnn.com)

The World Health Organization said Friday that trials of the single-dose VSV-EBOV vaccine began in March in Guinea -- one of three West African nations at the center of the recent outbreak -- and have shown such promise that this week it was decided to extend immediate vaccination to "all people at risk" after close contact with an infected person.
WHO Director General, Dr. Margaret Chan, said this is an extremely promising development. More research is needed, but the results so far on this trial show 100% efficacy.