WHO approves trials of two vaccines targeting Bundibugyo Ebola
The World Health Organization has approved clinical trials of two vaccines developed specifically for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, as the Democratic Republic of the Congo confronts the largest outbreak of the virus in its history. The strain has killed more than 5,300 people, mostly in the DRC, since May, and has a fatality rate of about 50 percent. Public health agencies have struggled to contain it because no vaccine or treatment specifically targeting Bundibugyo had previously been available.
The DRC’s National Institute for Biomedical Research is leading the trial with support from the WHO and other partners. The vaccine candidates were developed by the University of Oxford in collaboration with the Serum Institute of India and Moderna. A separate trial launched last month is using Ervebo, a vaccine approved for the Zaire strain, although it was not designed for Bundibugyo. Results from the new vaccine trial are expected in early 2027.
The African Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has recorded 10,444 confirmed cases, making the outbreak the fastest-growing in the DRC’s history. Nine cases, including two deaths, have been reported in Kenya, while Nigeria has confirmed one case. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged countries to lift travel restrictions, warning that such measures could discourage transparent reporting. Meanwhile, a British healthcare worker infected in the DRC is being evacuated to the United Kingdom for specialist treatment; the patient is stable, and the risk to the UK public remains low.
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