The United States has developed an experimental vaccine believed to be capable of protecting primates from the Ebola virus in what is seen as a major breakthrough in fighting one of the deadliest diseases known to man, the government announced Wednesday.

Ebola, which has already ravaged several African countries, normally kills 90 percent of its victims.

"This research has enormous public health implications not only because it might be used to limit the spread of Ebola virus ... but also because this vaccine strategy may be applied to other highly lethal viruses, such as the Marburg and Lassa fever viruses and the SARS coronavirus," commented Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.