Researchers in the UK say a new Ebola vaccine could enter clinical trials within months as cases rise in DR Congo.
Scientists at University of Oxford are developing an experimental vaccine targeting the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola. This strain is behind the latest outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Researchers say the vaccine could be ready for clinical trials within two to three months if ongoing animal testing produces positive results.
The outbreak has already caused 750 suspected cases and 177 deaths, according to health officials. The World Health Organization recently raised the national risk level in DR Congo from “high” to “very high”.
The Bundibugyo strain has no approved vaccine and kills around one-third of infected patients. Scientists say the rarity of the virus means there are fewer medical tools available to contain outbreaks.
The Oxford team is using ChAdOx1 technology, the same platform used during the COVID-19 pandemic. The vaccine works by training the immune system to recognise and fight the Ebola virus without causing infection.
Researchers said the vaccine would likely be used through “ring vaccination”, where close contacts of infected patients and frontline health workers receive immunisation to slow transmission.
Another experimental Bundibugyo vaccine is also being developed separately. Although experts say it could take up to nine months before doses are ready for testing.
The WHO has declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern, while stressing it is not currently considered a pandemic.
Health experts say rapid vaccine development could become critical if the Ebola outbreak continues to spread across Central Africa.
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