Uganda begins testing a vaccine against the Ebola strain that has none
Scientists in Masaka have started a first human trial of a vaccine against the Bundibugyo strain behind Congo's outbreak. Congo itself starts a larger trial this month.
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Elizabeth Wilson
Masaka — Scientists in Masaka, in southern Uganda, have begun the first human trial of a candidate vaccine against the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which there is no licensed vaccine or effective treatment, Africanews reports.
The trial comes as the outbreak caused by that strain in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo continues to spread.
The trial
- It is a Phase I trial, which mainly tests whether a vaccine is safe and whether it produces the right immune response, explained Eugene Rizagira, an associate professor of epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
- It aims to enrol 110 volunteers, with enrolment expected to finish by November.
- Each volunteer will be followed for 12 months.
- The candidate vaccine was developed at the University of Oxford.
Other work under way
- In Congo, a full-scale human trial is due to begin this month to test whether Ervebo, an existing vaccine that works against the Zaire strain of Ebola, also protects against Bundibugyo. Vaccines designed specifically for Bundibugyo will be added later.
- The US company Moderna is separately developing an mRNA vaccine against the strain.
Source: Africanews with AFP, 15 October 2026.
