A long-lasting, single-dose nasal vaccine for Ebola: a practical armament for an outbreak with significant global impact

In response to the severity and scale of the 2014 Ebola outbreak, several experimental vaccines were granted fast-track status for clinical testing. Although they may provide long-lasting protection from Ebola, they are, in their current states, far from optimal for populations that need them the most. In this context, nasal immunization addresses the: immune response required at the mucosa where Ebola initiates infection; needs of a population in terms of cost and compliance; and potency of each platform as they contain viruses that naturally infect the respiratory tract. Understanding the attributes of nasal immunization and its application will lead to potent vaccines that can effectively end Ebola and other emerging infectious diseases in developing and industrialized countries.