The World Health Organisation has commenced the first clinical trial of an Ebola vaccine during the ongoing outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
WHO Director-General, Tedros Ghebreyesus, announced the development in a post on his official X handle on Friday, following the vaccination of the first participants in Bunia, in the country’s northeastern Ituri province.
The trial, named Tumaini, meaning “hope” in Swahili, will assess whether vaccine candidates can protect against the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, for which no vaccine has been approved.
“Science gives us hope. Today, in Bunia, DRC, the first participants were vaccinated in a new Ebola vaccine trial called Tumaini.
“This trial will help us understand whether any of the vaccine candidates designed for Bundibugyo virus work,” he wrote.
“In the meantime, the existing Everbo vaccine (licensed for use in preventing other Ebola virus disease) will be tested.
“WHO is supporting this DRC-led effort to find answers and save lives,” he added.
The first vaccine to enter the trial is Ervebo, which is licensed to prevent Ebola disease caused by the Zaire strain. Researchers will investigate whether it can also offer protection against the Bundibugyo strain responsible for the current outbreak.
Two additional vaccine candidates, being developed by Moderna and the University of Oxford in collaboration with the Serum Institute of India, are expected to join the study.
The trial will evaluate the safety, immune response and effectiveness of the vaccine candidates. It will also use a ring vaccination approach, targeting contacts of confirmed cases and other people at high risk of infection.
According to the figures released by organisations supporting the trial, the DRC had recorded 9,552 cases and 4,602 deaths as of October 21.
The outbreak, declared on May 15, 2026, prompted the WHO to declare a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
The WHO stated that the trial is being led by Congolese health authorities and research institutions, with support from the WHO and international partners.
However, the commencement of the trial does not mean a vaccine has been proven effective against the Bundibugyo strain.