WHO approves trials of two new Ebola vaccines as Bundibugyo outbreak continues
Written by AI from aljazeera.com's report. Not checked by a person.
The World Health Organization has approved clinical trials for two new vaccines designed for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, which has killed more than 5,300 people since May. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the DRC's National Institute for Biomedical Research is leading the trial, with results expected in early 2027.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has approved clinical trials for two new Ebola vaccines, as doctors work to control the largest outbreak in the history of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). On Monday, WHO expert groups recommended adding two vaccine trials aimed at the Bundibugyo strain. According to the report, the strain has killed more than 5,300 people since May, most of them in the DRC.
Bundibugyo has a fatality rate of 50 percent, and public health agencies have struggled to contain it because no vaccine or treatment has been designed specifically for it. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said a trial that began last month used the Ervebo vaccine, which is approved for the Zaire strain of Ebola but not designed for Bundibugyo. He said the new vaccines are designed specifically for Bundibugyo. The DRC's National Institute for Biomedical Research is leading the trial, backed by the WHO and other partners. He said the vaccine was developed by the University of Oxford with the Serum Institute of India and Moderna. The WHO reported that results are expected in early 2027.
The African Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said 10,444 cases have been confirmed, making this the fastest-growing outbreak in the DRC's history. The WHO reported nine cases in Kenya, including two deaths, and one confirmed case in Nigeria.
Tedros said vaccines are not substitutes for measures such as early care, contact tracing, isolation and safe burials. He urged countries to lift travel restrictions, saying they could discourage transparent reporting. Separately, a UK government spokesperson said a British healthcare worker with Ebola is being evacuated from the DRC to the UK. The patient is stable, and the government said the risk to the UK public remains low.
