Oxford Develops Bundibugyo Ebola Vaccine, With Human Trials Months Away Amid 220 Deaths
Updated
Updated · Forbes · May 26
Oxford Develops Bundibugyo Ebola Vaccine, With Human Trials Months Away Amid 220 Deaths
5 articles · Updated · Forbes · May 26
Oxford University researchers said an experimental vaccine for the Bundibugyo Ebola strain is in animal testing, with human clinical trials expected within months.
The candidate uses Covid-era vaccine technology, and the Serum Institute of India is positioned to mass produce it if those trials succeed.
The push comes as WHO chief Tedros Ghebreyesus said the outbreak has killed 220 people and is "outpacing" treatment and containment efforts, with 10 African countries now considered at risk.
Bundibugyo has no approved vaccine or treatment, leaving supportive care as the main option while officials also weigh whether Merck's Zaire-strain shot could offer limited protection.
The widening emergency has triggered U.S. airport screening and entry restrictions for recent travelers from affected countries, while attacks on treatment facilities in eastern Congo have further disrupted the response.
Is deploying a vaccine for the wrong Ebola strain a necessary gamble or a dangerous medical experiment?
Six years after the COVID-19 pandemic, is the world losing the race against the next deadly outbreak?
Why are communities attacking the very hospitals trying to save them from the deadly Ebola virus?
2026 Bundibugyo Ebola Outbreak: 1,000+ Cases, Vaccine Urgency, and Lessons for Global Preparedness
Overview
In May 2026, the Democratic Republic of the Congo declared a Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak after health officials identified confirmed and suspected cases, with the virus quickly spreading from Mongbwalu to other areas like Bunia and Rwampara. By late May, the epidemic had grown rapidly, surpassing 1,000 cases and causing over 200 deaths, including the first locally transmitted cases in Uganda. The World Health Organization responded by declaring a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, signaling the need for urgent, coordinated international action to contain the outbreak and protect public health.