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Ebola Bundibugyo: DRC prepares to expand the use of the Ervebo vaccine
As the Ebola epidemic caused by the Bundibugyo virus continues to spread in the DRC, health authorities and their partners are moving towards a new vaccination strategy. The Ervebo vaccine, previously approved against Ebola Zaire, could be used on a larger scale, while trials must begin quickly to precisely measure its effectiveness against Bundibugyo.
Published on:08/08/2026 - 19:07
By : Patient Ligodi
The turning point was announced by the director general of Africa CDC, Jean Kaseya. Following discussions held in Kinshasa with Congolese authorities, he stated that it had been decided to expand the use of Ervebo to the population of Ituri and North Kivu, the two provinces at the heart of the response.
This approach is based on observations that people previously vaccinated against Ebola Zaire appear to benefit from a certain level of protection against Bundibugyo, particularly against fatal forms.
But this cross-protection has not yet been definitively demonstrated in humans. This is precisely what the new trials must establish.
A test on Ervebo is expected soon
Scientists associated with Africa CDC indicate that an initial trial focused on the cross-protection of Ervebo could begin in the coming weeks.
According to Professor Placide Mbala, who is involved in the research conducted in the DRC, a first trial could begin within two to three weeks. This trial should allow for a better assessment of the vaccine's ability to protect against the Bundibugyo virus, drawing in particular on data collected during previous Ebola vaccination campaigns.
Another scientific official from Africa CDC, for his part, mentions the launch, in about two weeks, of a small cohort intended to study this cross-protection, before moving on to larger-scale work.
This acceleration comes after a new recommendation from the World Health Organization's technical group tasked with prioritizing vaccine candidates. Meeting on July 31, this group determined that, in the absence of a vaccine specifically designed against Bundibugyo – immediately available for large-scale evaluation – Ervebo should be prioritized for a phase 3 trial during the current epidemic.
This phase should help answer a central question: does the vaccine actually protect people exposed to Bundibugyo? Since Ervebo is already licensed against Ebola Zaire, the primary challenge is no longer to establish its safety, which has already been extensively documented, but its effectiveness against this other strain.
Muyembe proposes a " vaccination curtain "
In the DRC, Professor Jean-Jacques Muyembe, Director General of the National Institute of Biomedical Research (INRB), proposes to go further in the way the vaccine is used.
In an interview with RFI, he advocates for the creation of what he calls a vaccination "curtain" around the areas most exposed to the spread of the epidemic. His idea is to prioritize vaccinating populations living in provinces threatened by the virus's progression, particularly Tshopo and Haut-Uélé.
The goal would be to create an initial barrier before the virus gains new ground.
This approach would differ from the so-called "ring vaccination" strategy, commonly used during previous Ebola epidemics. This strategy involves vaccinating people who have been in contact with a confirmed case, and then the contacts of those contacts.
For Jean-Jacques Muyembe, the two strategies are not incompatible. Preventive protection of at-risk areas could be implemented as a priority, then supplemented by vaccination around confirmed cases. The Director General of the INRB emphasizes that such a campaign would be a public health measure and not a clinical trial.
The question of doses
The implementation of large-scale vaccination will, however, depend directly on vaccine availability. Jean-Jacques Muyembe indicates that approximately 2,000 doses are currently available in the DRC.
Internationally, Africa CDC reports that 500,000 doses of Ervebo are available in the global stockpile. Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, has pledged $40 million to make these doses available if the vaccine is recommended for this use. The price mentioned by Africa CDC is $98 per dose.
African officials are also working with the manufacturer MSD and several partners to improve production capacity in the longer term, particularly in Africa. However, these projects do not constitute an immediate solution to the current epidemic.
A two-tiered strategy
The new approach is therefore taking shape on two levels.
On one hand, researchers want to quickly obtain solid evidence of Ervebo's effectiveness against Bundibugyo. On the other hand, Africa CDC and Congolese officials are already considering its use as a public health tool in the face of an epidemic that continues to spread.
This development comes as vaccines specifically designed against Bundibugyo are also being evaluated. Two candidates have already reached phase 1 trials, in the United Kingdom and Canada. These studies must first verify their safety and their ability to trigger an immune response before determining whether they actually protect against the disease.
Ervebo therefore presents an immediate advantage: the vaccine already exists, its safety is known, and hundreds of thousands of doses are available. The question now facing researchers is to determine the extent of its protection against Bundibugyo and under what conditions it can be used without waiting for the completion of vaccines specifically designed against this strain.
https://www.rfi.fr/fr/afrique/20260...pare-à-élargir-l-utilisation-du-vaccin-ervebo
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See also:
Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak: first findings to guide the development of an effective vaccine
https://flutrackers.com/forum/forum...uide-the-development-of-an-effective-vaccine
