A clinical trial of an Ebola vaccine developed by Merck and NewLink has been halted temporarily as a precautionary measure after four patients complained of joint pains, the University of Geneva Hospital said on Thursday.

"They are all fine and being monitored regularly by the medical team leading the study," it said in a statement.

The trials will resume on Jan. 5, on up to 15 volunteers, after checks to ensure that the joint pain symptoms in hands and feet were "benign and temporary," the hospital said.