The main objective of this initiative is
WHO is initiating a new clinical trial for Ebola vaccine in the Democratic Republic of Congo
The World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed the start of the first clinical trial to test an immunostimulator against Ebola virus, in the context of the outbreak that began in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). WHO Chief General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus officially announced the move on social media on Friday, stating that the volunteers involved in the research had already received the dose of Ervebo at Bunia. This city is the administrative centre of Ituri Province, located in the north-east of the DRC, an area considered to be the current epicenter of the health crisis.
The main objective of this initiative is to assess the effectiveness of the Ervebo vaccine, which has so far been authorised to combat the more common strain of Ebola known as Zaire, in order to verify the cross-protection it can offer against Bundibugyo species, which are the direct cause of the current outbreak. Through Platform X, WHO chief explained that this experiment will clarify whether any of the vaccine candidates specifically designed for the Bundibugyo virus prove effective. He also underlined that the International Agency supports this DRC-coordinated effort to find swift solutions and save lives.
The research, called ' Tumaini ', adopts
The situation on the ground remains critical as the DRC declared in May the 17th Ebola outbreak in its history, which is also the most severe to date. Since the outbreak began, more than 9,700 confirmed cases have been recorded, and the death toll has exceeded the 4,600 threshold. In response to the scale of the situation, WHO has activated a public health emergency of international concern, the second alert level in the institution's hierarchy. The geographic spread of the disease is unprecedented in Africa, with infections already reported in four countries in the continent's eastern, central and western regions.
The research, called ' Tumaini ', adopts a unique framework allowing for the simultaneous testing of the safety, efficacy and immunogenicity (immunogenicity) of several vaccine formulations. The strategy implemented is based on a ring vaccination model, referred to in English as 'ring vaccination ', which aims to immunise contacts considered to be at high risk of infection. The study will integrate two candidate vaccines specific to the Bundibugyo strain, which are in the early stages of small-scale clinical development. One of them uses the ChAdOx1 adenoviral vector technology developed by the University of Oxford, while the other, created by the American group Moderna, is based on messenger RNA (mRNA). Both projects have received funding from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovation (CEPI), which stated that these vaccines will be incorporated into the study soon.
For the first time, the experimental protocol will include demographic groups often excluded from such tests, namely pregnant women and children aged 12 years and older. WHO Director for Emergencies Chikwe Ihekweazu said that the study structure was specifically designed to generate rigorous evidence, essential to determine whether the participating vaccines are capable of providing real protection to people in high-risk areas.