World Health Organization expert groups have recommended adding two new vaccine candidates, ChAdOx1 BDBV and Moderna’s mRNA-1469, to the ongoing Tumaini clinical trial in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to combat the Bundibugyo ebolavirus outbreak.
The World Health Organization approved clinical trials for two vaccines specifically designed to target the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus (Al Jazeera), according to Aljazeera. The decision arrives as health authorities struggle to contain an epidemic that has killed more than 5,300 people, with the vast majority of fatalities occurring in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Public health agencies have faced persistent challenges because the strain lacks a vaccine or treatment designed specifically for it, maintaining a fatality rate of 50 percent (Al Jazeera).
New Vaccine Candidates Enter the Tumaini Trial
The two newly recommended candidates are ChAdOx1 BDBV, developed jointly by the University of Oxford and the Serum Institute of India, and Moderna’s mRNA-1469 (World Health Organization). WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced the recommendation at a Geneva news conference, noting that the trial began last month using the Ervebo vaccine. While Ervebo is approved for the Zaire Ebola virus, it is not approved for the Bundibugyo virus (World Health Organization).
The recommendation by the World Health Organization’s independent Technical Advisory Group on Candidate Vaccine Prioritization followed an October 22 review of available preclinical and early clinical evidence. The Phase 2/3 Tumaini study operates as a randomized, blinded, active-controlled adaptive platform trial utilizing a ring-vaccination approach to evaluate multiple vaccine candidates among contacts of infected individuals. The National Institute for Biomedical Research in the Democratic Republic of Congo is spearheading the clinical trials with support from the World Health Organization and other partners, with results from the vaccine trial expected in early 2027.
The fact that these vaccines are ready to enter clinical trials is a testament to the power of science and partnership.
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General
Stéphane Bancel, Chief Executive Officer of Moderna, noted that the rapid advancement highlights the promise of mRNA technology in responding to emerging infectious diseases.
Infections Reach Ten Thousand Cases Across Multiple Countries
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention reported a total of 10,444 confirmed cases of the Bundibugyo virus. In addition to the extensive toll in the DRC, Kenya has recorded nine cases, including two deaths, and the WHO has confirmed one case in Nigeria. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention verified that its single case involved a traveler from Uganda, leading authorities to place 57 contacts in quarantine (Head Topics).
Meanwhile, a British healthcare worker infected with the virus is being evacuated from the DRC to the United Kingdom in stable condition for treatment at a high-consequence infectious disease unit (Al Jazeera).
Vaccines are powerful tools, but they are not substitutes for the proven measures that can save lives now: early care, contact tracing, isolation, safe and dignified burials and trusted engagement with communities.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General
Earlier coverage: Democratic Republic of Congo Records 10,000 Ebola Cases
