Is the world ready for an Ebola vaccine?

The west African Ebola epidemic has motivated efforts to bring an Ebola vaccine to the market as soon as possible. If a candidate vaccine successfully moves through clinical development, a product could be on the market in the next 1–2 years. Developing an efficacious vaccine will be only part of the process. Post-licensure challenges could impede and even derail an Ebola immunisation programme. We propose seven key challenges to be considered early in Ebola vaccine development that will help stakeholders prepare and allow developers to adjust vaccine characteristics accordingly.