WHO Confirms Ebola Vaccine Human Clinical Trials Set To Begin In Congo By November

Trials for three potential vaccines against the Ebola strain responsible for thousands of deaths in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are expected to begin by October or November this year, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Wednesday. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters in Geneva that two new vaccines targeting the Bundibugyo strain of the virus are currently undergoing safety trials in the United Kingdom and Canada, with one being developed by US-based Moderna using mRNA technology.

The announcement comes as the official death toll from what has become the DRC's deadliest-ever Ebola outbreak surpassed 3,000 people on Wednesday, out of more than 6,000 recorded infections. The country's 17th Ebola outbreak was formally declared on May 15, though the WHO believes the virus may have been spreading undetected as early as late January, well before it was officially identified. As a result, health responders have been working to catch up on containment efforts in the country's volatile eastern region, an area long plagued by numerous armed groups operating amid ongoing conflict.

Among the most significant challenges facing the response has been the complete absence of any approved vaccines or treatments specifically targeting the Bundibugyo species of Ebola, a strain distinct from the more commonly studied Zaire strain. WHO vaccines chief Kate O'Brien noted that Ervebo, a vaccine manufactured by Merck and already licensed for use against the Zaire strain, is likely to be the first vaccine introduced into the upcoming trial framework, as researchers work to determine whether it offers any meaningful cross-protection against the Bundibugyo variant. While early data from animal studies has suggested Ervebo could provide some degree of protection, Tedros stressed that human clinical trials remain essential, as definitive efficacy against this particular strain has not yet been established.

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In formal recommendations published this week, the WHO advised that, for the time being, Ervebo should only be administered against Bundibugyo within the context of a structured clinical trial, rather than as a standalone preventive measure. O'Brien further noted that frontline health care workers involved in the outbreak response should likewise only receive the vaccine as part of ongoing research into its effectiveness against the strain, reflecting the WHO's cautious approach given the current uncertainty surrounding the vaccine's protective capabilities.

Beyond the Ervebo-focused research, a separate vaccine candidate developed by the University of Oxford's Vaccine Group has also entered early-phase human trials in the UK, using the same viral vector platform employed in the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, adapted to target a Bundibugyo virus protein instead. Meanwhile, treatment-focused trials are already underway in Ituri province, the epicenter of the current outbreak, where a newly constructed 100-bed Ebola treatment centre has been established in the provincial capital of Bunia to help expand care capacity as case numbers continue to climb across the affected region.

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