Ebola in DR Congo: Clinical vaccine trial launched against Bundibugyo strain

The first participant in the TUMAINI clinical trial was vaccinated Friday in Bunia, Ituri, as researchers began evaluating vaccines against Bundibugyo virus disease. The study is led by the National Institute for Biomedical Research and the University of Antwerp, with support from the WHO, and will assess the candidates’ safety, immunogenicity and efficacy. The first candidate is Ervebo, authorized against the Zaire strain, but its protection against Bundibugyo has not been established; candidates from Moderna and from the University of Oxford with the Serum Institute of India are also expected to join the trial. TUMAINI uses ring vaccination for high-risk contacts and was officially launched in Bunia by Ituri’s military governor, Major General Gaby Kasongo Mulumba.