WHO approves trials for two new Ebola vaccines
Two new vaccines were designed for the Bundibugyo virus that has killed more than 5,300 in the DR Congo.
Key points
- The WHO has approved clinical trials for two new Ebola vaccines targeting the Bundibugyo strain.
- The outbreak has caused more than 5,300 deaths, mostly in the DRC, since May.
- A British healthcare worker infected with Ebola is being evacuated to the UK for treatment.
The World Health Organization has approved clinical trials for two new Ebola vaccines as doctors try to control the largest outbreak in the history of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. On Monday, WHO expert groups recommended adding the trials, which are designed to fight the Bundibugyo strain. That strain has killed more than 5,300 people, most of them in the DRC, since May.
Public health agencies have struggled to contain the Bundibugyo virus, which has a fatality rate of 50 percent because no vaccine or treatment was designed specifically for it. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said a trial that began last month used the Ervebo vaccine, which was approved for the Zaire strain but is not designed for Bundibugyo. He said the new vaccines under trial target the Bundibugyo virus specifically, with results expected in early 2027.
Trial leadership and case numbers
The DRC's National Institute for Biomedical Research is leading the trial, backed by the WHO and other partners, according to Tedros. The vaccine was developed by the University of Oxford with the Serum Institute of India and Moderna.
The African Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said 10,444 cases of the Bundibugyo virus have been confirmed, making it the fastest-growing outbreak in the DRC's history. Kenya has reported nine cases, including two deaths, and Nigeria has confirmed one case, according to the WHO.
Vaccines are powerful tools, but they are not substitutes for the proven measures that can save lives now
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
Travel restrictions and evacuation
Tedros called for travel restrictions imposed by some countries to be lifted, warning they could discourage transparent reporting. The WHO said it is supporting all countries neighbouring the DRC to prepare for cases spreading across borders.
A British healthcare worker infected with Ebola is being evacuated from the DRC to the United Kingdom for specialist treatment, a UK government spokesperson said. The government said the patient is in a stable condition, is expected to arrive in the UK by Thursday and will be transferred to a high-consequence infectious disease unit. It said the risk to the UK public remains low.
