WHO Begins First Ebola Vaccine Trial in DR Congo Amid Deadly Outbreak

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has begun a clinical trial of an Ebola vaccine in Bunia, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo), as health authorities battle an outbreak that has killed more than 4,600 people, according to the supplied report.

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The trial, which began on Friday, is known as Tumaini, a Swahili word meaning “hope”. The outbreak has recorded more than 9,700 cases and is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, for which there is currently no approved vaccine or specific treatment.

WHO Begins Testing Existing Vaccine

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced the start of the trial in a post on X, saying the first participants had received vaccinations.

“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,” Tedros said.

The trial will initially assess whether Ervebo, an Ebola vaccine approved for protection against the Zaire strain, can also provide protection against the Bundibugyo strain responsible for the current outbreak.

Tedros said the research was intended to help scientists establish whether available vaccine candidates could protect people against the strain.

“WHO is supporting this DRC-led effort to find answers and save lives,” he added.

Two More Vaccine Candidates Expected

Two additional vaccine candidates specifically developed for the Bundibugyo strain are expected to be included in the programme as they progress through earlier stages of clinical testing.

One is an experimental vaccine using adenoviral vector technology being developed by the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.

The other is being developed by US pharmaceutical company Moderna and uses messenger RNA (mRNA) technology.

The trial is expected to help researchers assess the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine candidates, with the broader aim of improving protection against a strain for which no approved vaccine currently exists.

Why the Trial Matters

The launch marks an important step in efforts to develop protection against the Bundibugyo strain. However, the trial’s commencement does not mean that Ervebo has been proven effective against this strain. Researchers will need evidence from the study to determine whether it offers protection.