With the Ebola outbreak starting to slow down in West Africa, it may be time for scientists to start looking at generating stockpiles of vaccines to keep another epidemic from happening again.

In order to combat Ebola, scientists will need to come up with a vaccine that is both effective and inexpensive, as well as easy to handle in Africa and capable of dealing with multiple strains of the deadly virus, according to a Reuters report.

In order to do that, scientists may need to shift their focus from fast-tracked vaccines meant for dealing with a crisis to a vaccine that can effectively prevent a new development.

Seth Berkley, chief executive of the GAVI global immunization alliance, said that a stockpile is necessary as there will be other outbreaks. His organization assists poor countries in buying vaccines in bulk.

Some experimental vaccines will be undergoing some clinical trials in West Africa to combat the Ebola Zaire strain of the virus. However, there is no telling what strain the next outbreak will be, requiring scientists to come up with a more far-reaching vaccine.

Berkley said that researchers will need to work alongside the pharmaceutical industry to develop second-generation vaccines that would cover a range of strains and work across many different places.

The 2014 Ebola outbreak was the largest in history, affecting primarily Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Liberia in West Africa, killing thousands and sickening many more. However, the pace of infection has been slowing, with fewer than 100 new cases confirmed in a week in the three nations, the lowest since June, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Symptoms of Ebola start between two days and three weeks after contracting the virus, and include fever, muscle pain, sore throat, diarrhea, vomiting, and a rash, and it can result in poor function of the liver and kidneys. It is often fatal, and has killed thousands in the recent outbreak.