The first clinical trial for vaccine candidates against the Bundibugyo species of Ebola virus has begun in eastern DR Congo, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) has said.
“Science gives us hope. Today, in Bunia DRC, the first participants were vaccinated in a new Ebola vaccine trial called Tumaini, which means “hope” in Swahili,” Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a post on X social media.
The rare Bundibugyo species, for which there are currently no specific vaccines or treatments, is driving the outbreak that is now the deadliest in DR Congo’s history with over 9,700 confirmed cases, including 4,690 deaths, according to WHO figures.
Imported cases of the disease have been confirmed in Uganda, Kenya and Nigeria.
The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (Cepi), which is funding the trial, said the first candidate to enter the trial is Ervebo, which is already approved for use against the more common Zaire strain of Ebola.
Two other candidates
Two other vaccine candidates, under development by Moderna and by the University of Oxford in collaboration with Serum Institute of India, will enter the trial shortly, Cepi said in a statement on Friday.
Tedros said the trial “will help us understand whether any of the vaccine candidates designed for Bundibugyo virus work.”
In May, Africa’s top public health agency said it aims to have a vaccine and treatment for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola ready by the end of the year.
Ebola spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected people, whether living or dead. The disease can cause fever, vomiting, diarrhoea and, in severe cases, internal and external bleeding.
The outbreak was declared in May and has so far affected eight provinces in DR Congo: Haut-Uele, Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Bas-Uele, Tshopo, South-Ubangi and North Ubangi.
