The World Health Organization has backed two more clinical trials for Ebola vaccines, as doctors in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) work to bring the largest outbreak in the country’s history under control.
On Monday, the WHO’s expert groups recommended adding the two trials, which target the Bundibugyo strain. The strain has killed more than 5,300 people since May, most of them in the DRC.
Why current measures fall short
Public health agencies have had difficulty containing the Bundibugyo virus. It carries a fatality rate of 50 percent, and no vaccine or treatment has been designed specifically for it.
Also read: Ebola outbreak in Africa kills over 5,300, mostly in DR Congo
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said a trial that started last month used the Ervebo vaccine. That vaccine was approved for the Zaire strain of Ebola, not for Bundibugyo.
Tedros said the vaccines now being tested were built specifically for Bundibugyo. Results are expected in early 2027, according to the WHO. The DRC’s National Institute for Biomedical Research is leading the trial with support from the WHO and other partners, Tedros said. The vaccine was developed by the University of Oxford, the Serum Institute of India and Moderna.
Case counts and spread across Africa
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, while Nigeria has confirmed one case, according to the WHO. The agency said it is helping all countries bordering the DRC to prepare for possible cross-border spread.
Travel curbs and a British patient’s evacuation
Tedros called on countries to lift travel restrictions, warning that they could discourage open reporting. “Such restrictions punish countries for doing the right thing,” he said.
A British healthcare worker infected with Ebola is being evacuated from the DRC to the UK for specialist care, a UK government spokesperson said. The government said the patient is in stable condition and is expected to arrive by Thursday, before moving to a high-consequence infectious disease unit.
The government said the risk to the British public remains low.
