Africa: Can a Vaccine Built for One Ebola Virus Stop Another? the World Health Organization Is About to Find Out
[The Conversation Africa] The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended prioritising the Ervebo vaccine for testing in a clinical trial in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The vaccine was originally developed to protect against Zaire ebolavirus, the species responsible for the devastating west African epidemic just over a decade ago. It was not designed for the Bundibugyo species…
The World Health Organization (WHO) is set to test the Ervebo vaccine in a clinical trial in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), amid a rapidly growing Ebola outbreak. The vaccine was initially developed to combat the Zaire ebolavirus, responsible for a devastating epidemic in West Africa over a decade ago. However, the current outbreak, declared a public health emergency of international concern in May 2026, is caused by a different species - the Bundibugyo virus.
This raises the question of why the Ervebo vaccine, not specifically designed for the Bundibugyo virus, is being considered for the current trial.
As of August 9, 2026, the DRC had reported 4,402 confirmed Ebola cases and 2,013 deaths, with all but 21 cases occurring in the country. The outbreak is currently the second-largest on record, surpassed only by the West African epidemic of 2014-2016, which claimed 11,000 lives. The UN has described the current outbreak as the fastest-growing Ebola epidemic ever recorded, with the WHO director general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, stating that it is on track to become the world's largest.
Without a vaccine for the Bundibugyo virus, efforts to control the outbreak rely solely on public health measures. However, implementing these measures can be challenging during a fast-moving outbreak, as fear and misinformation can spread quickly. In the DRC, the situation is further complicated by ongoing armed conflict in some affected areas, which hinders health workers' ability to reach communities, track cases, and implement control measures.
The WHO advisory group has recommended testing the Ervebo vaccine due to its potential effectiveness against the Bundibugyo virus. Although animal studies have shown promise, evidence in humans is still limited. While Ervebo has been found to trigger an immune response against the Bundibugyo virus, it is unclear how well it performs in real-world conditions.
The decision to test the vaccine in this clinical trial hinges on the hope that it can help protect individuals and potentially curb the rapid spread of the deadly disease.
Written by urgent.news from AllAfrica Health's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
