WHO approves trials for two new Ebola vaccines

The World Health Organization has approved clinical trials of two vaccines designed for the Bundibugyo strain, which is causing the largest Ebola outbreak in the history of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The strain has killed more than 5,300 people since May and has a 50 percent fatality rate; 10,444 cases have been confirmed in the DRC. The DRC’s National Institute for Biomedical Research is leading the trials with WHO and partner support; the vaccine was developed by the University of Oxford, the Serum Institute of India and Moderna, with results expected in early 2027. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said vaccination must complement early care, contact tracing, isolation, safe burials and engagement with communities.